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All the news for Tuesday 19 September 2017

India women beat Belgium junior men's team 4-3

ANTWERP (Belgium): The Indian women's hockey team ended their Europe Tour on a high after getting the better of the Belgium junior men's team 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.

For India, Gurjit Kaur (7th and 11th minutes) and captain Rani (13th and 33rd minutes) scored twice to give the visitors their first win of the tour.

A rampant Indian team started the match with some enthralling attacking play as they earned a penalty corner in the 7th minute, which was well converted by drag-flicker Gurjit to give India the lead.

The defender extended India's lead in the 11th minute as she converted another penalty corner to make it 2-0.

Skipper Rani also got onto the score sheet as she netted the ball via a well taken field goal in the 13th minute to further extend the lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter began with goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu making her second diving save of the match to deny the Belgians from opening their account.

India displayed grit and fight throughout the second quarter as they held onto their 3-0 lead at the end of 30 minutes.

India started the third quarter with some high intensity play, which paid off for them in the 33rd minute as Rani scored her second goal of the match to make it 4-0.

However, Belgium finally managed to get past India's sturdy defence when Thibault Neven converted a PC in the 38th minute to make it 1-4.

The hosts produced a great field goal in the 42nd minute via William Van Dessel to end the 3rd quarter with India still leading 4-2.

The Belgium carried on the momentum in the fourth quarter as well with Mathias Relik converting a PC to give them their third goal in the 48th minute and reduce the margin to 3-4.

It was a nervy last 10 minutes for the visitors as Belgium piled on some pressure to find the equaliser. But the Indian team held onto their nerves and defended as a unit to have the last laugh.

The Times of India

Hockeyroos’ Oceania Cup Team Named, Captain Appointed

Ben Somerford



Hockey Australia today announces the 18-member Hockeyroos team for the Oceania Cup to be played at Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre from 11-15 October.

Australia will take on New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in the biennial event where the Hockeyroos have won six of the nine editions.

The Hockeyroos were last in action at the FIH World League Semi-Final in Belgium in June.

Kirstin Dwyer returns after glandular fever along with Ashlea Fey, Kaitlin Nobbs and Grace Stewart, with Kate Hanna, Jacqui Day, Georgia Nanscawen and Georgina Morgan (injury) making way from the World League Semi-Final team.

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin said: “Selection was challenging. We’re learning about the group and we’re still not decided on the make-up of our squad for next year, but we think we’ve picked a team that can win the Oceania Cup.

“We’ve had some injuries as well that has taken people out of selection such as Georgina Morgan, Gabrielle Nance and Mariah Williams, but the selected group is solid.”

Gaudoin also confirmed 25-year-old forward Emily Smith has been appointed as permanent captain and will lead the team for the first time in Sydney.

Smith takes up the captaincy following long-term skipper Madonna Blyth’s retirement last year, with Jane Claxton holding the role on an interim basis.

“Emily has shown a consistent approach to her hockey, she’s well respected by her peers and the Hockeyroos staff, so it was a pretty simple decision in the end,” Gaudoin said.

“We haven’t rushed into selecting our captain or leadership group over the past year. We’ve had interim leadership groups for tournaments, but we’ve utilised the year to explore the playing group and see what we really needed.

“I don’t want her to do too much different. She’s been involved with leadership groups previously.”

Smith, who hails from Crookwell in country NSW, will be supported by Claxton, Rachael Lynch, Kathryn Slattery and Karri McMahon in the leadership group.

“We want to see a step-up among the whole group with Emily helping and enabling that,” Gaudoin said.

“She’s got some good supporters underneath her. We’ve selected those people in order to drive our group forward. We need to get people on board to come with us to the next level.”

Australia’s Oceania Cup opponents New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are ranked sixth and 50th respectively in the FIH World Rankings.

The Hockeyroos are currently fifth on the FIH World Rankings but were knocked out of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at the quarter-finals stage by the Black Sticks. New Zealand also defeated Australia at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, fuelling the rivalry.

Gaudoin said there was a lot to gain for Australia at the Oceania Cup.

“We want to win the tournament,” Gaudoin said. “Ranking points are important.

“We want to keep working on the development of our group and our playing style.

“We want to make sure we can perform well against these two countries, including one who is a very competitive team ranked in the top six in the world.”

The squad will fly to Sydney for the tournament on Monday 9 October following the conclusion of the Australian Hockey League in Perth.

Hockeyroos Oceania Cup Team

Athlete (State)

Laura Barden (Victoria)
Jocelyn Bartram (NSW)
Edwina Bone (ACT)
Jane Claxton (SA)
Kirstin Dwyer (Queensland)
Ashlea Fey (Queensland)
Madison Fitzpatrick (Queensland)
Jordyn Holzberger (Queensland)
Stephanie Kershaw (Queensland)
Rachael Lynch (Victoria)
Karri McMahon (SA)
Kaitlin Nobbs (NSW)
Madeleine Ratcliffe (Victoria)
Kathryn Slattery (WA)
Emily Smith (c) (NSW)
Grace Stewart (NSW)
Renee Taylor (Queensland)
Georgia Wilson (WA)

Hockey Australia media release

Smith Appointed New Hockeyroos Captain

Ben Somerford



Hockey Australia today announces Emily Smith has been appointed as the new permanent Hockeyroos captain.

Smith takes up the captaincy following long-term skipper Madonna Blyth’s retirement last year, with Jane Claxton holding the role on an interim basis.

The 25-year-old forward, who hails from Crookwell in country NSW, will be supported by Claxton, Rachael Lynch, Kathryn Slattery and Karri McMahon in the leadership group.

The appointment was made ahead of Tuesday’s announcement of the Hockeyroos 18-member team for October’s Oceania Cup against New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in Sydney.

Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin said: “We haven’t rushed into selecting our captain or leadership group over the past year. We’ve had interim leadership groups for tournaments, but we’ve utilised the year to explore the playing group and see what we really needed.

“Emily has shown a consistent approach to her hockey, she’s well respected by her peers and her staff, so it was a pretty simple decision in the end.

“She certainly gives her all when she’s out on the pitch. We’re looking forward to her showing strong leadership and developing her leadership over time too.”

Smith, who has scored 65 goals in 163 matches for Australia, said it was an exciting time to take over as skipper, with a young group moving forward with a view to next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

“I’m excited and honoured to be handed the captaincy,” said Smith, who was part of Australia’s 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games squads.

“I’m looking forward to what lay ahead for myself and the team, with a young squad.

“The future is looking bright in Australian hockey so it’s going to be an exciting to lead that.

“I’ve had the opportunity to play under an experienced figure like Madonna Blyth and I’ve learned from her over the last couple of years.

“I’m going to use all of that experience and draw upon my teammates around me to ensure we’re headed in the right direction.”

The Oceania Cup takes place at Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre from 11-15 October.

Hockey Australia media release

Auckland, Harbour surge ahead at Ford NHL


Photo: www.photosport.nz

The Auckland and North Harbour Men have stormed ahead following strong results at the Ford National Hockey League on Monday.

Auckland jumped to the top of Pool B with eight points thanks to a hard fought 2-0 win over the Canterbury Cavaliers.

After a goalless first half, Auckland opened the scoring in the 37th minute thanks to a brilliant solo effort from Ben Radovonich who ran the ball into the circle and slipped a shot past goalkeeper George Enersen.

The blue and whites then sealed the result one minute from fulltime after being awarded a penalty stroke, which Johnny Kinder calmly slotted from the spot.

The result sees Auckland top the pool with two consecutive wins ahead of their final match of pool play against Northland on Wednesday.

North Harbour ran away in the second half to defeat the Southern Dogs 4-0 and consolidate top spot in Pool A with eight points.

After a tight goalless first half, the floodgates open in the second period with Daniel Harris scoring a brace along with goals from Kirk Shimmins and Cory Bennett.

Harbour face Midlands in their final pool game on Wednesday before Thursday’s cross-over quarter finals phase.

The Capital Cobras mounted a late push to down Midlands 5-2 and secure their first win at the tournament so far.

Both sides went goal for goal throughout the game until Capital took a strangle hold in the final 10 minutes with Dane Lett and Sebastian Buddle netting from penalty corners and Benedict van Woerkom adding a high quality field goal.

The Central Mavericks put in strong performance as they cruised past Northland 7-1, fuelled by doubles from Martin Atkinson and Dylan Thomas.

Central led 3-0 at halftime and kept the pressure on after the break as they poured on another four goals to run away with four points.

The women’s teams are back on the turf from 1:00pm tomorrow while the men have a day off before their final round of pool play on Wednesday.

CLICK HERE for more on the 2017 Ford National Hockey League

FORD NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Monday 18th September

MEN’S RESULTS

Central Mavericks beat printing.com Northland 5-1
Central Mavericks: 7 (Martin Atkinson 2, Dylan Thomas 2, Matt Young, Jordan Cohen, Hayden Phillips)
printing.com Northland: 1 (Josh Down)
Halftime: Central 3-0

Auckland beat Canterbury Cavaliers 2-0
Auckland: 2 (Ben Radovonich, Johnny Kinder)
Canterbury Cavaliers: 0
Halftime: 0-0

TigerTurf North Harbour beat Southern Dogs 4-0
TigerTurf North Harbour: 4 (Daniel Harris 2, Kirk Shimmins, Cory Bennett)
Southern Dogs: 0
Halftime: 0-0

RICOH Capital Cobras beat Bayleys Midlands 5-2
RICOH Capital Cobras: 5 (Benedict van Woerkom 2, Daan Jongejan, Dane Lett, Sebastian Buddle)
Bayleys Midlands: 2 (Andy Hayward, Aidan Sarikaya)
Halftime: Midlands 2-1

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Support for changed NHL format


Auckland's Mark Bell-Kane dribbles the ball pursued by Canterbury's Bradley Shaw in their Challenge Cup clash yesterday. Photo / Photosport

The format has changed at this week's national hockey league, and Auckland captain Arun Panchia is enjoying the adjustment.

Teams are playing day on, day off and in pools of four, rather than a full round robin of seven games. Black Stick Panchia said last night the change is certainly less taxing on the body.

"Having a recovery day is good, tactically you can look into the opposition a bit more so it's not so much about physicality and you get a good tactical game into play," Panchia said.

Auckland's 2-0 win over Canterbury yesterday leaves them clear on top in pool B.

The goals came from Ben Radonovich in the third quarter and Johnny Kinder at the end.

"That was a tough game. To come out with a 2-0 is a good performance and good for us building to the quarter-finals," Panchia added.

Central thumped Northland 7-1 in the other pool B game, with a brace of goals each for Martin Atkinson and Dylan Thomas.

In pool A, North Harbour had a good 4-0 win over Southern, with two goals from Daniel Harris, both from penalty corners and one apiece from Kirk Shimmins and Cory Bennett. Three of Harbour's goals came in the last 11 minutes.

Defending champions Midlands are in difficulties, though, after their 5-2 loss to Capital last night.

They are without a point after two matches. Midlands were 2-1 up at halftime through penalty strokes from former international drag flick star Andy Hayward and Aidan Sarakaya, but Capital ran away with four goals in a 14-minute burst after halftime, including a pair from Benedict van Woerkom.

The third round of women's matches are on today, with Auckland facing defending champs Canterbury in the clutch game.

The New Zealand Herald

GTB Gold Cup: Indian Oil and South Central Railway enter finals



Mumbai: Indian Oil, Mumbai and South Central Railway (SCR), Secundrabad registered contrasting wins to set up a title clash in the 13th PMC Bank-Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup All India Hockey Tournament.

In the first semi-final played on Monday afternoon, the Indian Oil outfit managed to deal better with the oppressive hot, humid conditions and enjoyed the upper hand as they coasted to a fluent 4-1 win against Punjab Police, Jalandhar, who are playing in Mumbai after more than a decade. Later in the evening and playing in much cooler conditions, South Central Railway struck a late winner to ground out a fighting 3-2 win against Army XI, Bengaluru, in the second semi-final, at the MHAL-Mahindra Stadium, Churchgate.

Indian Oil, who were twice runners-up in 2003 and 2008, produced another slick performance and got their goals through Sukhjeet Singh (6th min), Sunil Yadav (24th min), Deepak Thakur (50th min) and Prabhjot Singh (57th min) to complete the win. Punjab Police could only manage one goal through Dharamvir Singh (36th min).

South Central Railway, who finished runners-up in 2014 losing to Army XI in the final, came up with another good combined performance but faced quite a strong fight from the Armymen and the match witnessed an absorbing battle for supremacy.

SCR took off on the right track and opened the scoring through M.G. Poonacha who scored off a rebound from their first penalty corner. But their joy was short-lived as Chandan Aind sounded the boards with a direct penalty corner drive for the Army XI’s equaliser in the eight minute before Rahul Kumar Yadav put Armymen ahead (2-1) with a brilliant field effort in the first minute of the second half.

The southern outfit made a strong reply and drew level in the very next minute with Raju Pal scoring from a well-organised move. SCR continued to press and took a decisive lead with Gagandeep Singh scoring from a penalty corner in the 60th minute to secure the win for the railwaymen.

Earlier in the first match, Indian Oil showed good coordination and drew first blood in the very sixth minute. International Sunil Yadav’s drag flick from the first penalty corner came back off goalkeeper Harjot Singh’s pad, but young Sukhjeet was alert to pounce on the rebound and tap into the goal. Later Yadav converted a penalty stroke to double the lead. Umpire Javed Shaikh awarded the ‘stroke’ after Yadav’s attempt hit the body of defender Dupinder Deep Singh on th goalline.

Trailing 0-2 at the break, the Punjab cops returned with renewed vigour and showed signs of a fight back as Olympian Dharamvir with a fierce drive from the top circle got the first goal for the policemen to reduce the margin (1-2). The Punjab side kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser but could get past the Indian defence marshalled by Yadav and Vikram Kant, who were well supported by midfielders Bharat Chikara and Harpreet Singh.

Punjab Police captain Gurbaj Singh and Dharamvir with a neat passing bout pierced through the rival defence but the former’s final pass was intercepted by a defender who cleared the ball safety.

Later, Indian Oil skipper and Olympian Deepak Thakur dashed Punjab Police’s fight by putting the finish touch to a Prabhjot’s square pass from the left in the 50th minute to increase the lead (3-1). Seven minute later Prabhjot got on the scoresheet when he deftly deflected home a long hit to score the foruth goal and seal the win.

Results – Semi-finals: South Central Railway 3 (M.G. Poonacha 3rd-PC, Raju Pal 37th-FG, Gagandeep Singh 60th-PC) beat Army XI 2 (Chandan Aind 8th-PC, Rahul Kumar Yadav 36th-FG).

Indian Oil 4 (Sukhjeet Singh 6th-PC, Sunil Yadav 24th-PS, Deepak Thakur 50th-FG, Prabhjot Singh 57th-FG) been Punjab Police 1 (Dharamvir Singh 36th-FG).

Stick2Hockey.com

SCR, IOC in Tegh Bahadur hockey final


Early advantage:IOC forward Sukhjeet Singh (centre) strikes in the semifinal against Punjab Police.Special Arrangement 

Indian Oil Corporation outscored Punjab Police 4-1 to confirm a place in Tuesday’s clash for the title in the 13th PCM Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament. In the other semifinal, South Central Railway (SCR) quelled a spirited challenge from Army XI 3-2 at the MHAL-Mahindra stadium, Churchgate.

The first semifinal between Mumbai-based IOC and Jalandhar-based Punjab Police, two sides packed with internationals, produced five goals in all. Deepak Thakur, leading the oilmen, displayed goal-poaching instincts, in tandem with Prabhjot Singh, who netted one goal.

Sukhjeet Singh and Sunil Yadav scored to give IOC the upper hand early. Dharamvir Singh reduced the margin for the cops, captained by Gurbaj Singh.

Punjab Police came out firing in the second half, but forwards Thakur and Prabhjot teamed up to score the third goal, the latter nipping in to divert home a deflected pass by the latter, who got his name on the score sheet with a deflection into the net to seal the win.

The railway side from Secunderabad, marshalled by M.G. Poonacha, surged into the lead with its captain slamming home a rebound off a penalty corner. The Bengaluru-based Army XI drew level via a drag flick strike by Chandan Aind.

Rahul Kumar Yadav scored the best goal of the tie, an angular, wristy hit to the roof of the net from near the right post after a run in to the goalmouth.

SCR upped its game when it mattered to level the score via a field goal from Raju Pal. Gagandeep Singh dragged home a penalty corner for the match-winner.

The result: Semifinals: IOC, Mumbai 4 (Sukhjeet Singh, Sunil Yadav, Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh) bt Punjab Police 1 (Dharamvir Singh) .

SCR, Secunderabad 3 (M.G. Poonacha, Raju Pal, Gagandeep Singh) bt Army XI, Bengaluru 2 (Chandan Aind, Rahul Kumar Yadav).

The Hindu

Weston off to winning start in Leinster Division One

Weston won in Kilkenny for the second year running to take up the lead of the embryonic men’s Leinster Division One table for the guts of ten days.

Ben Epstein gave the Lucan side a great start with the opening goal after a well rehearsed short corner move with Tom Cole. Kilkenny fought hard to get back into the game and eventually equalised through Emmett Hughes, 1-1 at half-time.

The second half could have gone either way with both sides having their chances while Weston’s Sean Butler, Matthew Pluck and David Sheill proved vital in their battling performance.

During a phase in the ascendancy, a beautiful pass got to Regan Turnbull who guided the ball home beautifully with a first time shot.

Kilkenny attempted to push on but found themselves frustrated by Sheill and Finn Harvey and Weston had the first and only win of the opening weekend of the adult season in Leinster.

Men’s Leinster Division One
Kilkenny 1 (E Hughes) Weston 2 (B Epstein, R Turnbull)

The Hook

Mossley making their mark in Ulster Shield

John Flack.


Mossley captain Louise Creighton. Picture: Philip McCloy

Newly-promoted Mossley Ladies are closing in on a place in the semi-finals of the Denman Ulster Shield after securing promotion to the top-flight for the first time last season.

They continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-2 draw against Ulster Elks, after opening with a 1-0 win over Banbridge. It could easily have been three points instead of one, as the Elks snatched a last-gasp equaliser after Mossley had been in sight of victory.

Mossley captain Louise Creighton said: “We’ve had a decent two results so if we get through the group then it’s a bonus and an extra game for us. It’s all about playing at the pace and intensity required for this step-up which so far the girls have done.

“We are using the Shield as a warm up to league and I think we can hold our own in it. The aim is to finish mid-table which is a realistic goal for us and we have six girls recently picked for Ulster at the UK School Games which demonstrates the depth of talent we have coming through.”

It was the Elks though, who got off to a flying start when Judith Allen gave them the lead in the second minute but a defensive error allowed Sophie McDowell through for the equaliser eight minutes later.

Rebecca McCullough scored to make it 2-1 and the Elks were unlucky not to equalise shortly afterwards when Emma Quinn thought she had scored. But the umpire had blown the whistle a fraction earlier and awarded a penalty-stroke after the ball had struck a defender’s foot before entering the net.

However, Annabelle Hamilton’s effort from the spot was saved and it looked like Mossley would hang on for the win. But Hamilton made amends for her miss with virtually the last action of the game when she scored from a set-piece to snatch the Elks a point.

In the other Pool A game, Banbridge were 4-1 winners over Portadown while Ballymoney fell to their second defeat in a row in the other section, losing 3-2 to Lurgan.

The holders came from 2-0 down, after early Money goals from Jan Hamilton and Ruth Sutherland, to win with strikes from Lauren Wright, Chloe McCann and Jo-Anne Wilson.

Also in Pool B, Anna Doherty’s second-half winner gave holders Randalstown a 1-0 victory over North Down.

Tori Hastings’ penalty-stroke conversion clinched last season’s runners up Queen’s a 1-0 success at Dungannon.

The Ireland U-21 striker made a confident job of it from the spot after a penalty-corner effort had been kept out of the net by Lisa Millar’s foot.

However, Queen’s coach Simon Bell admitted Dungannon posed his team plenty of problems as students’ keeper Sarah McCabe had to make several decent saves.

In the Senior Cup, Lisnagarvey look to be the team to beat after goals from Jenna McQueen, Sarah Colgan and Rachel Houston gave them a comfortable 3-0 win over Raphoe, making it six points out of six so far for the Hillsborough side.

In the men’s Kirk Cup, Chris Barnes scored a hat-trick for the second time in as many weeks as Civil Service defeated North Down 3-1, whose reply came from Peter McKibbin.

However, Jordan Robinson went one better scoring four of the goals as Mossley romped to a 6-1 win over Newry, the other goals coming from Stephen Clarke and Joel Cathcart with Keith McWilliams replying.
Kilkeel were 3-0 winners over South Antrim, the goals coming from Jonathan Aiken, Luke Russell and David Finlay.

Women
Denman Ulster Shield
Pool A: Mossley 2 (S McDowell, R McCullough) Ulster Elks 2 (J Allen, A Hamilton); Banbridge 4 (O Berry, P Haugh, E Nolan, R Kerr) Portadown 1 (L Cassells); Pool B: Ballymoney 2 (J Hamilton, R Sutherland) Lurgan 3 (L Wright, C McCann, J-A Wilson); Dungannon 0 Queen’s 1 (T Hastings); North Down 0 Randalstown 1 ( A Doherty);

Senior Cup: Pool A: Knock 1 (H Rogers) Victorians 10 (J Orr 3, E Cutrona 2, E McAteer, R Hewitt 2, E Conlin, S McCoo); Omagh 2 (S Graham, D Darragh) Ballymena 3 (R Reynolds 2, C McCracken); Pool B: Ballyclare 5 (J Jones 3, S Dickey, F Hunter) CI 2 (J Mahie, L Mercer) Lisnagarvey 3 (J McQueen, S Colgan, R Houston) Raphoe 0.

Men
Kirk Cup Pool A: Newry 1 (K McWilliams) Mossley 6 (J Robinson 4, S Clarke, J Cathcart); Kilkeel 3 (J Aiken, C Russell, D Finlay) South Antrim 0; Queen’s 0 Harlequins 5 (M McKenna 2, N Anderson, C Lemon, L McClelland)
Pool B: North Down 1 (A McKibben) Civil Service 3 (C Barnes 3)

Linden Cup: Ballynahinch 7 (W Edgar 2, A Millar 2, L Thomas 2, R Coffey) Cliftonville 2 (D Campbell, M Eakin); Raphoe 3 (T Orr, S Goudie, T Eaton) Armagh 0

The Hook

Telkom’s clean, 11-match sheet

By BRIAN YONGA


Flavian Mutiva (left) of Telkom Kenya in control under pressure from Maureen Kamau of Vikings during their Kenya Hockey Union Women’s Premier League match at City Park Hockey Stadium on September 16, 2017. Telkom won 6-0. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Can anyone stop Telkom from marching to an unprecedented 20th Kenyan league crown?

That is the question on hockey pundits’ minds after the league leaders kicked off their second leg campaign of the national league with 6-0 rout of Vikings at the City Park Stadium at the weekend.

Telkom were far too superior for their opponents, as they have been since the season began, and their huge win has assistant coach Josephine Ataro tipping them to successfully defend their gong.

The team is also hoping to make history by going all the season without conceding.

The nine-time African club champions have yet to concede a goal after 11 matches.

“If we can keep up with such performances for the remainder of the second leg, I see no reason why we won’t be champions once again,” a bullish Ataro predicted after their win over Vikings.

Kenya international Audrey Omaido, who grabbed a brace in the tie, leads the scoring charts with 19 goals. “Of curse the other teams will not make it easy for us but we are ready for them and vow to fight to the end,” the former Kenya one said.

The result saw Telkom move to 33 points having scored an impressive 76 goals.

United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Spartans, who are seen as Telkom’s main challengers to the throne, are two points behind after they hammered Multimedia University 7-0.

The Thika Road-based side have promised to keep the pressure on the champions.

“We are in a good position and we hope to keep on winning matches and hopefully see where that gets us at the end of the season,” Spartans captain Beatrice Mbugua said.

Spartans have played 12 games to Telkom’s 11.

Spartans’ forward Rhoda Kuira is second in top scorers charts with 14 goals, the same as Telkom’s Jackline Mwangi.

In the men’s Premier League, the going is tough for Technical University of Kenya and KCAU as they seek to avoid the drop.

Bottom placed TUK were beaten 3-0 by USIU- their 14th loss of the season and remain on four points.

KCAU are also strong favourites to join them in the second tier division after they succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Parkroad Badgers.

KCAU are on 11 points, three points from safety.  Kenyatta University “Vultures” were the biggest winners of the weekend, moving four places to ninth after a shock 2-1 win over third-placed Greensharks.

The top five places remain unchanged with Kenya Police perched at the top with 40 points, followed by Butali Sugar Warriors and Sharks on 33 and 30 points.

Wazalendo and Sikh Union Nairobi round off the top five spots.

Daily Nation

Maryland field hockey’s Kyler Greenwalt, Lein Holsboer earn Big Ten honors

By Scott Gelman

Both Maryland field hockey midfielders who scored in Sunday's 4-1 win against Bucknell earned Big Ten conference honors Monday.

Midfielder Kyler Greenwalt was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, while midfielder Lein Holsboer was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Greenwalt, who has appeared in each of Maryland's first seven games, ended an 0-for-15 shooting skid with a score in the 19th minute against the Bison. She notched her second goal in the 40th minute to give Maryland a 2-1 lead.

The freshman worked on her shot selection in advance of Sunday's contest, coach Missy Meharg said.

Holsboer had comparable success, scoring a combined four times last week. She scored twice in Maryland's win against Indiana on Friday and twice more Sunday. Her goals against Bucknell came within two minutes of each other.

Holsboer has started all seven games this year, recording a team-high five goals and 11 points.

No. 9 Maryland will play its first midweek game this season Tuesday against No. 15 Princeton.

The Diamondback

Kyler Greenwalt was a Maryland field hockey ball girl. Now she’s a standout freshman.

By Scott Gelman


Maryland field hockey midfielder Kyler Greenwalt brings the ball up the field during the Terps' 2-1 win over Saint Joseph's on Aug. 27, 2017, at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. (Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics)

Nearing goal, Kyler Greenwalt battled.

With two defenders and the goalkeeper in front of her during the Maryland field hockey team's 4-1 win against Bucknell on Sunday, the freshman midfielder tried to tuck the ball into the unguarded net while ensuring her stick didn't touch the others vying for possession. Four Terps surrounded and watched.

Greenwalt briefly broke away, which enabled her to fire a shot into the lower-left corner of the net. It was Greenwalt's first career goal, one that she's dreamt of since she was a Maryland ball girl in third grade.

Greenwalt attended Maryland games and on-campus clinics growing up. She's always sought to help the Terps win. Against the Bison, her two scores did just that.

"As soon as it hit her stick, I was like, 'I'm going to be on this. I'm not going to let my team down. I'm going to try and score this,'" Greenwalt said. "I was just ready to play I guess."

The sequence was a turning point for Greenwalt, who coach Missy Meharg said worked on shot selection through the team's first six contests. The Gambrills native attempted 15 shots entering Sunday's contest. None reached the net, prompting Greenwalt's celebration after both goals against Bucknell.

Greenwalt, who starred at Archbishop Spalding High School, has needed time to develop because of her eagerness to contribute.

On the road, midfielder Lein Holsboer watches Game of Thrones while Greenwalt completes homework in the hotel room. During their conversations, which range in subject from school to field hockey to boys, Greenwalt is animated and boasts the same enthusiasm, likely prompting her immediate success in College Park.

"She's so eager to do everything perfectly and get all the information in," Holsboer said. "Sometimes she gets a little hyped about it. We tell her to calm down and focus on one thing. She has such an amazing aura around her."

That guidance proved beneficial against the Bison, as Greenwalt's second career score gave No. 9 Maryland a lead it didn't relinquish. In the 40th minute, she possessed the ball after a saved shot and deposited it between the pipes, giving Maryland a 2-1 edge.

Perhaps her most impressive feat, Greenwalt has appeared in all seven games and started five, emerging as the latest Maryland freshman threat. When she arrived in College Park, Greenwalt aspired to "play a lot."

Greenwalt is satisfied with the outcome and figures to remain an aggressive member of Maryland's attack when the Terps host No. 15 Princeton on Tuesday.

"Sometimes she's just so eager to do well that she's not taking the time to think [shot attempts] through," Meharg said. "[Sunday], I thought she grew 100 percent."

Greenwalt said from the time she first worked during games at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, she's felt like she was a part of the team. The atmosphere made Maryland her only desirable university.

Her dedication and enthusiasm helped her match Holsboer's two goals against Bucknell, but Greenwalt isn't complacent. She'll still do homework and prepare for games while Holsboer sometimes watches Netflix — a work ethic Holsboer takes credit for teaching Greenwalt.

When game day arrives, Greenwalt transitions that ambition onto the pitch.

The Diamondback

Field hockey falls to Indiana

by Jack Williams


Ball State field hockey players celebrate after senior midfielder Carley Shannon scored a goal in the first half of the Cardinals' game against Ohio on Aug. 27 at Briner Sports Complex. Ball State scored two goals in the first half. Patrick Murphy // DN Patrick Murphy

After defeating Saint Francis on Friday 2-0, the Ball State field hockey team fell to the Indiana Hoosiers 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals struck first with a goal in the first half by freshman Abby Ferenczy. The Hoosiers would strike back quick to tie the game and keep the game knotted at one at halftime. In the second half, with five minutes left in the game, senior Maddie Latino would score the winning goal for Indiana.

The Cardinals defensive unit was a major factor in keeping them in this game. Freshman Grace Chavez made seven saves on nine Indiana shots. While the match was close, the Cardinals gave the Hoosiers a large amount of penalty corner opportunities with 16 to the cardinals five. On the offensive side of the spectrum, the cardinals registered eight shots with three on goal.

The team will have one match coming up this next weekend against No. 13 James Madison in Louisville. 

The Daily News

Training Squads Selected for Women's 2018 FIH Masters World Cup

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After multiple tryouts across the United States during which more than 200 women participated, the U. S. Women’s Masters Committee is pleased to announce the training squads for the FIH Masters World Cup to be held July 27 to August 5, 2018 in Terrassa, Spain. With the increased interest in Masters Hockey, the U.S. Women's Masters Committee has selected five squads in the following age groups, O-35, O-40, O-45, O-50 and O-55. This is an increase from two teams representing the U.S. Women's Masters Team at the last two World Cups in The Netherlands (2014) and Australia (2016). Travel teams for each squad will be announced in early 2018.

Below are the squads:

CLICK HERE TO NAVIGATE TO THE U.S. MASTERS WEBSITE

USFHA media release

World XI visit will help hockey, says federation secretary

By Nabil Tahir


PHOTO: AFP

LAHORE: World XI’s visit to Pakistan for the Independence Day Cup went a long way in ensuring that the country takes a huge step in returning international cricket to its soil, but other sports can also use it to their advantage.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) believe the series will help them invite players for the first Pakistan Hockey League (PHL).

Foreign cricketing stars visited Pakistan and returned without incident and the PHF will be looking for more of the same with the hockey players they invite for the league that begins in November.

“These three matches were a historic event for Pakistan and the way people enjoyed the game was great to watch,” PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior told The Express Tribune. “This has helped cricket fans and will also help domestic cricket as the interest of the youth will once again be boosted.”

Talking about PHL, Shahbaz said the PHF has done all the paper work and is making a list of international players to be invited. “There have been matches featuring international players both in the Abdul Sattar Edhi Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore which is adjacent to the National Hockey Stadium,” he said. “Our security agencies have proved that both the cities are safe for sports activates featuring international players, the Ronaldhino and Friends football match in Karachi and the World XI matches in Lahore are solid proof that sport can return to Pakistan.”

Shahbaz added the league will feature in these two cities. “The Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council made this possible, with the help of security agencies, and this will surely help us in organising the league,” he said.

He further added that the planned visits of Sri Lanka and West Indies to Pakistan will further strengthen Pakistan’s credentials as a safe host.

Shahbaz also revealed that the international team will be participating in the Asia Cup, which will help them gauge the future of hockey and the direction of the team. “The players have been working for a long time now and I am sure that — like the Pakistan Development Squad that defeated Oman in a five-match series — the national team will also do well in the Asia Cup.”

The Express Tribune

Strengthened Racing make it two wins from two


©: Christopher Bellenger

Racing Club de France continued their strong start to their French title defence with a second win of the campaign, beating Stade Francais 5-1 in their derby date.

It took them a while to get into full flow but they did take the lead via Jean-Laurent Kieffer from a penalty corner. Stade, though, equalised soon after via the same set-piece method for 1-1.

Adrien Coffigniez restored the lead from close range and Christopher Peters-Deutz made it 3-1 from another corner before Kieffer made the game safe. Celestin Duchesne completed the win, making it two from two as they added the result to their win over Polo a week ago.

Racing have added a number of strong players for the new season. Coffigniez, 18, moved to the club from Amiens having helped the French Under-21s win the Junior European B Division, ending the tournament as top scorer.

Irish player Ali Haughton moves to the club after two seasons with Paris Jean Bouin while 20-year-old Mathieu Regniez makes the same move having also played with French underage teams

Olivier Poulain, also 18, adds to their defensive and midfield options, arriving in Paris from Bordeaux where he will study for the next few seasons.

It means coach Nicolas Jacquet will have a larger panel at his disposal with only Jacinto Domingo-Perez moving on. He returns to Spain for his studies after two years in Paris as they look to the EHL KO16 next Easter.

Saint Germain, meanwhile, beat Wattignies with Hugo Genestet moving top of the goalscoring charts with three goals. CA Montrouge are the other side with six points thanks to their 2-0 win over Polo.

Euro Hockey League media release

Wimbledon add huge quality for new English season


©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics

Wimbledon Hockey Club today announced the signings of 10 new players across their elite men and women’s squads with a series of high profile new arrivals.

They are looking to build on a big 12 months in which they became the first English club to reach the EHL FINAL4 since 2011 whil their women’s team won the Investec National East Conference for the first time.

The new signings include the return of former Great Britain international Alastair Brogdon from Dutch side Rotterdam, and commanding defender and two-time Olympian Iain Lewers from Holcombe.

They are joined by Ed Horler and Luke Taylor who are both in the Great Britain centralised programme at Bisham Abbey alongside existing Wimbledon players Ian Sloan, Phil Roper, Mikey Hoare and Henry Weir.

They will all be lining up their trip to Barcelona where they will meet HC Bloemendaal and SV Arminen in Euro Hockey League’s ROUND1 from October 6-8 at the Pau Negre Stadium.

On the women’s side, current Great Britain International, fresh from helping secure a European bronze medal, Anna Toman joins alongside New Zealander Bridgette Allen, Scottish International Fiona Bruce and former England U-21 players Mollie Rawnsley, Kate Maxey and striker Eliza Brett.

In addition to strengthening their elite teams, the club have also added a fourth available pitch for the junior section and increasing the hours of coaching delivered to juniors by current and former Olympic hockey players.

An exciting development has seen the club develop a community outreach programme, delivering free hockey coaching to local junior schools who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to be exposed to the sport.

Speaking about the initiative, Olympic gold medallist Crista Cullen said: “It’s brilliant that Wimbledon HC are taking such a proactive approach to championing hockey within the community we exist in. Alongside success at a national and international level hopefully we can be beacon for hockey and more than a club.”

Having overseen the transformation of Wimbledon, Director of Hockey Ben Marsden, commented: “With so many developments throughout the entire club, we are very excited about the season ahead at Wimbledon.

“We have opened our doors at grassroots level, have a bourgeoning adult team section and, with some exciting signings at the top end, are confident of delivering our premise of continuous progression, always moving forward.”

Euro Hockey League media release