News for 28 May 2018
All the news for Monday 28 May 2018
2018 Test Matches: ARG v MAS (M) - 3rd test
Buenos Aires (ARG)
ARG - MAS 7 - 2
Argentina lead the 6 test series 3 - 0
FIH Match Centre
Malaysia suffer defeat to Argentina due to poor defence
By Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia paid the price for poor defending and were thrashed 6-1 by reigning Olympics champions Argentina in the second hockey Test match in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.
It was national chief coach Stephen van Huizen team’s second defeat to Argentina.
Malaysia lost 0-1 in the first Test match played last Thursday.
Goalkeeper Muhd Hairi Abdul Rahman was fielded in place of the country’s top custodian S. Kumar in the second match on Saturday.
Defender Muhd Najib Abu Hassan and forward Nik Muhd Aiman Nik Rozemi were also fielded in the second Test match to replace Muhd Najmi Farizal Jazlan and Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan.
Argentina, ranked second in the world, went on the offensive from the start and took an early lead in the third minute through Tomas Domene off a field goal.
Nicolas Della Torre doubled the score five minutes later.
The South American champions piled up the pressure and netted another four goals in the space of 18 minutes.
Torre was on target again to make it 3-0 in the 38th minute before Lucas Martinez increased the lead in the 45th minute.
Domene scored his second and his team’s fifth goal in 52nd minute off a penalty corner.
Torre netted his hattrick off another penalty corner to give Argentina a 6-0 lead four minutes later.
Nik Muhd Aiman scored the consolation goal in the 60th minute.
Stephen said Argentina started fast and pressured the Malaysian side with quick passes.
“We conceded the first goal off a reverse stick attempt as goalkeeper Hairi was late to stop the attempt.
“Argentina increased the score off a melee in the semi-circle. We tried to get back into the game but gave away the ball possession too easily,” said Stephen.
“We created some good chances especially on quick counter attacks but couldn’t finish it off. We let in goals due to poor marking.
“Argentina converted two penalty corners in the fourth quarter and one of the drag flick sailed past Hairi. We hope to bounce back in the next match,” said Stephen.
Malaysia went to Argentina to play six Tests match in preparation for the Asian Games in Jakarta from Aug 18-Sept 2.
The Star of Malaysia
Brilliant Bloemendaal win third EHL crown in front of wild home crowd
© Frank Uijlenbroek
HC Bloemendaal won their third EHL crown as they won an epic battle with SV Kampong 8-2 in the final, taking back the Alain Danet Trophy they win 2009 and 2013.
It was much to the delight of the bouyant home crowd with a largely orange fan-base packing the sold out stands in Noord Holland.
Bloemendaal made most of the early moves in the first half with David Harte standing tall to make two calm saves with his hands. Bloemendaal has the ball in the goal via Jord Beekmans but it hit his foot before he got the final scrambled touch.
Roel Bovendeert crashed a reverse-stick shot wide of the goal but Kampong rode out that early storm as Sander de Wijn began to pick off more and more ball. Jip Janssen crashed a ball just out of reach of Robbert Kemperman to serve as a warning shot.
And they took the lead in controversial fashion when Kemperman took a long corner, first moving the ball left before returning to the right where he slapped into the circle. Bloemendaal stood still, expecting the ball to have been judged not to have moved five metres.
But Constantijn Jonker was alive to the chance and was in position to tap home. That came 10 seconds before half-time and ensured a 2-0 half-time lead.
Bloemendaal turned things around in the third quarter, however, with two goals in three minutes. It came from a corner which was allowed go beyond the five-metre line, allowing them to go for two-goals, he worked a one-two with Jamie Dwyer and Spaniard unleashed a rocket of a shot into the roof of the goal for 2-2.
Three minutes later, a monster aerial out of defence from Floris Wortleboers fell invitingly for Roel Bovendeert in behind the last defender and he cushioned the ball with lovely soft hands to beat David Harte.
Kampong almost reduced the deficit from a Janssen drag-flick but it was gloved off the line by the post man. Bloemendaal had three major chances to seal the deal from there on as Florian Fuchs twice got through one on one only to be denied by Harte. Dwyer also nudged another chance wide before the killer moment came in the 58th minute.
Kampong withdrew their goalkeeper and were almost instantly caught with de Wijn up the pitch, claiming a free. The umpires waved play on as everybody stopped, giving Thierry Brinkman the chance to burst up the pitch and slot home on his reverse into the empty net for 6-2.
Quirijn Caspers hit the post with a shot in the endgame before Jamie Dwyer crowned the victory in the final 11 seconds.
Man of the match Xavi Lleonart said afterwards: “I don’t have words; it was always my dream but now I can say I am an EHL winner!
“Bloemendaal is the best club in the world, the atmosphere is incredible. I want to thank all the Bloemigans, the volunteers and everyone. It was an amazing event and now we have the title.”
For goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann, it was the perfect way to end his career as he retires: “To finish off on my home ground in such an atmosphere, winning a tournament cannot be better!
“For the team, it was fantastic to see after the great disappointment in the playoffs to get back into it, reshape and put on this kind of performance. I think we were unstoppable!”
Euro Hockey League media release
Van Dam snatches bronze medal for Rotterdam
©: Frank Uijlenbroek/world Sport Pics
Rottterdam snatched a last ditch victory in the BRONZE MEDAL match as they won a dramatic battle with Herakles 5-4, a game that swung back and forward at every stage.
The first half was played at an outrageous tempo with golden chances at each end. The first goal was eventually forced in when Toni Sanz del Campo’s second attempt on target in quick succession was touched in via a deflection just four minutes into the game.
Rotterdam surged forward after that and won a corner that Jeroen Hertzberger fired inches wide. A Thijs van Dam deflection at close quarters drew an incredible save from Amaury Timmerman with the bottom edge of his glove at point blank range.
They also needed Anthony van Stratum to clear off the line from another attack in a congested circle. Herakles saw a similar chance go wide, though, when Nico de Kerpel tore down the right wing and escaped the chasing defenders but his cross went agonisingly out of reach of the man in the middle.
The second half seemed a matter of when rather than if Rotterdam would get back on terms. They had a number of corners which Herakles charged down.
Timmermans made a number of great saves but the goal eventually arrived when Tjep Hoedemakers made a great break in midfield, slipping the ball left to Nick Catlin who fired into the middle. Jeroen Hertzberger’s deflection was saved down low but Hoedemakers followed up the chance and gobbled up the rebound.
It made it 2-2 and then just a couple of seconds into the fourth quarter, Rotterdam went into the lead when Hertzberger finally beat the number one runner to pick out the top corner.
But Herakles took a golden gift to get back into the game when a crash ball into the circle was miscontrolled by a defender in the circle and Sanz del Campo reacted quick to control and flick home.
Rotterdam fought back and were back in front with 65 seconds to go, Thijs van Dam spinning to shoot home from the middle of the circle. There was further late drama when Herakles won a corner only for the video review to be turned down and Rotterdam held on for the victory.
Reflecting on a thrilling game, Seve van Ass said afterwards: “We did pretty well. Yesterday was tough for us but we played a solid game and they fought like lions so it was a really good contest. I think we deserved the win in the end but, one minute to go to get the final goal, it’s nice and it was a very exciting game.
“We had to believe in ourselves; we had a lot of penalty corners and we had to believe in ourselves on that front. But we felt we always had pressure on them and in control so I was confident we would get the win but we still had to get the goals and I hoped we would have got it a bit earlier."
It was a game played in front of a sold out crowd, something which van Ass really enjoyed playing in front of.
“To see all the crowds coming again today after our loss yesterday, its shows both sets of fans are really committed and they are still making a lot of noise. It’s beautiful, I really love to play in the EHL because of this.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Bloemendaal power to victory over Kampong
By The Hockey Paper
Retiring goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann hailed an ‘unstoppable’ HC Bloemendaal as the Dutch team powered to the Euro Hockey League title after an 8-2 victory over SV Kampong.
The sell out in front of their home fans provided a fitting finale after missing out on the Dutch title to Kampong as Bloemendaal won their third European title – and first for five years.
“To finish off on my home ground in such an atmosphere, winning a tournament cannot be better,” said Stockmann.
“For the team, it was fantastic to see after the great disappointment in the playoffs to get back into it, reshape and put on this kind of performance. I think we were unstoppable.”
It was much to the delight of the bouyant home crowd with a largely orange fan-base packing the sold out stands in Noord Holland.
After Kampong had taken a two-goal lead through Constantijn Jonker’s field goal, Bloemendaal turned the final on its head with two goals in three minutes before Roel Bovendeert latched onto an aerial ball and slotted past the impressive David Harte.
Florian Fuchs was twice denied by Harte while Kampong had their chances to make inroads to Bloemendaal’s lead.
But with Kampong playing with a kicking back, Thierry Brinkman shot into an empty net, while Australian Jamie Dwyer capped victory in the dying seconds.
Earlier, Rotterdam ensured a Dutch 1-2-3 as they snatched a last-ditch victory in the third-place match, with a dramatic win over Herakles 5-4.
The Hockey Paper
Kookaburras’ Champions Trophy Team Confirmed
Ben Somerford
Hockey Australia today announces the Kookaburras 18-member team for next month’s Champions Trophy to be played in Breda, the Netherlands, from 23 June to 1 July.
Australia will head for the final-ever Champions Trophy, to be replaced by the FIH Pro League, as defending champions having triumphed in London in 2016.
The Kookaburras have a remarkable record in the Champions Trophy as 14-time champions and have won six of the past seven editions.
World number one Australia will come up against hosts Netherlands (ranked fourth), Argentina (2016 Olympic gold medallists and ranked second), Belgium (ranked third), India (ranked sixth) and Pakistan (ranked 13th).
Kookaburras coach Colin Batch said: “The Champions Trophy is a fantastic opportunity for us to play in a high-pressure tournament against some of the world’s best teams.
“We rarely get the chance to play against the top teams in Europe and it will provide great preparation for the World Cup later in the year.”
The National Selectors have made five changes from the team which won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
Uncapped pair Tim Brand and Johan Durst are both included for the first time.
Brand, who was coincidentally born in the Netherlands, is a forward from Ryde-Hunters Hill Hockey Club in Sydney.
Durst, who was added to the National Senior Men’s Squad following Tristan Clemons’ retirement earlier this month, is a goalkeeper from Hawthorn Hockey Club in Melbourne.
Defender Tim Howard is added while forward Blake Govers returns from a hand injury which forced him out of the Commonwealth Games.
Experienced defender Matthew Swann, who has 165 caps to his name, returns for the first time since December’s World League Final triumph following a sabbatical.
Mark Knowles (retirement), Andrew Charter, Matthew Dawson (both injury), Dylan Wotherspoon and Tom Wickham have made way from the Commonwealth Games team.
“It is an exciting time to have two debutants at a major tournament,” Batch said. “Both Tim and Johan deserve their opportunity.
“It’s great to see Blake back after the injury he sustained on the eve of the Commonwealth Games.
“Matthew’s return is also a significant boost, in light of Mark’s retirement, as he brings plenty of experience to our backline and team overall.”
Australia will play Germany in two lead-up Test matches in Moers on Saturday-Sunday 16-17 June ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Follow @Kookaburras on Twitter for updates throughout the Champions Trophy.
Kookaburras team for Champions Trophy:
Athlete (City, State)
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD)
Timothy Brand (Chatswood, NSW)
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW)
Johan Durst (Melbourne, VIC)
Jeremy Edwards (Hobart, TAS)
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW)
Jake Harvie (Dardanup, WA)
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT)
Tim Howard (Wakerley, QLD)
Aaron Kleinschmidt (Melbourne, VIC)
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA)
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA)
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS)
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW)
Lachlan Sharp (Lithgow, NSW)
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD)
Jacob Whetton (Brisbane, QLD)
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA)
Champions Trophy Match Schedule (all times AEST):
Sunday 24 June 2am – Australia vs Belgium
Monday 25 June 12am - Australia vs Pakistan
Wednesday 27 June 11pm – Australia vs India
Friday 29 June 3:30am - Australia vs Netherlands
Saturday 30 June 9:45pm - Australia vs Argentina
Sunday 1 July TBC - Finals
Hockey Australia media release
Butali, Telkom go top
By AYUMBA AYODI
Kenya Police's Richard Birir controls a short corner during their Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League match against Sikh Union on May 27, 2018 at City Park Stadium. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Former champions Butali Sugar Warriors and champions Telkom Orange devoured their opponents over weekend at City Park Stadium, Nairobi to storm to the top of their respective hockey Premier Leagues.
Butali plummeted Kenya Colleague of Accountancy University (KCA-U) 4-1 on Saturday before edging out Greensharks 2-1 on Sunday to go top of men’s Premier League with 21 points.
Butali relegated Greensharks to third with 16 points while Kenya Police are in second after a 3-2 win over Nairobi Simba in a late encounter Sunday.
On Sunday, Butali, who took to the match a 2-0 lead, held off Greensharks' challenge to win in a match that was played for 30 minutes only.
The match that was played at 7.30am, was a continuation of April 14 duel that was rained off when Butali was leading 2-0 at the break courtesy of George Mutira’s brace scored in third and 30th minutes respectively.
Benson Ochieng pulled one back for Greensharks in the 57th minute but time was against them as Butali triumphed to go to the league summit for the first time this season.
On Saturday, KCA-U were the first to test Butali’s systems with a field goal through Ken Gachara in the 10th minute.
Butali would turn on the style with Zack Aura scoring the first of his brace to level in 22 minute, before Mutira gave them the lead 2-1 on the stroke of half time.
Aura made it three from a field goal in the 40th minute, before Constant Wakura wrapped it up for the 2015 champions Butali from the spot in the 48th minute.
The free-scoring Telkom thrashed Vikings 11-0 with Jackie Mwangi netting five goals in the 15th, 24th, 28th, 56th and 60th minutes. Lilian Aura contributed a hat trick in 47th, 49th and 55th minutes.
Others scorers were Maureen Okumu (22nd), Caroline Guchu (48th) and skipper Tracy Karanja (53rd).
Telkom, who are chasing their 21th consecutive title, reclaimed their league’s lead with 12 points, dislodging Strathmore Scorpions on better aggregate with both teams on 12 points.
Scorpions, who didn’t have a match over the weekend and Telkom are the only sides yet to concede defeat this season, having won four matches each.
Daily Nation
Ex-hockey captain Sandeep Singh's statue to be installed in Jaipur wax museum
JAIPUR: Former India hockey captain Sandeep Singh will be immortalised when his statue will be installed at the Jaipur Wax Museum at the Nahargarh Fort here, next month.
Sandeep will join a select list of personalities such as Maharana Pratap, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Mother Teresa, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and erstwhile Jaipur rulers, whose wax and silicon statues are already placed at the museum.
"It is a big honour for me. I am overwhelmed at this gesture of Jaipur Wax Museum. The museum authorities approached me about two months back with the proposal and I instantly said yes. My statue will be unveiled sometime next month, closer to the release date of my biopic which is July 13," Sandeep told PTI.
Founder Director of the museum Anoop Srivastava said Sandeep's sporting journey is a motivation for the younger generation. "Known as 'Flicker Singh', 32-year-old Sandeep Singh is a legendary player who has given many golden moments to Indian hockey. Now, we are going to install his wax statue in the museum," Srivastava said.
"His journey is thrilling and inspirational and next generation should take motivation from him and learn how to live life," he added.
Sandeep's will be the 36th statute to be installed at the museum.
While travelling to New Delhi by train for a national camp in 2006, Sandeep was accidentally shot by a stray bullet.
Fracturing his lowest rib, the bullet punctured his pancreas while his kidneys and liver were slightly damaged. A part of his spine took all the impact and was chipped.
Despite all adversaries, Sandeep made a successful comeback to the field after two years and helped India finish second in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup the same year.
Sandeep went on to gain prominence and became captain in 2009.
The Times of India