News for 28 June 2023
All the news for Wednesday 28 June 2023
2022-23 FIH Hockey Pro League - 28 June
Amsterdam, Netherlands
All times GMT +2
Men
23 Jun 2023 17:10 GER v NZL (RR) 4 - 3
24 Jun 2023 17:40 NED v GER (RR) 1 - 1 (SO 1 - 4)
25 Jun 2023 15:10 NED v NZL (RR) 3 - 2
26 Jun 2023 17:10 NZL v GER (RR) 1 - 4
27 Jun 2023 19:40 NED v GER (RR) 2 - 0
28 Jun 2023 19:40 NED v NZL (RR)
Pool standings
Women
23 Jun 2023 19:40 NED v GER (RR) 5 - 0
24 Jun 2023 15:10 NED v NZL (RR) 4 - 1
25 Jun 2023 17:40 GER v NZL (RR) 3 - 1
26 Jun 2023 19:40 NED v GER (RR) 2 - 1
27 Jun 2023 17:10 NED v NZL (RR) 7 - 1
28 Jun 2023 17:10 NZL v GER (RR)
Pool standings
FIH Match Centre
Day of Dutch celebration as the Netherlands secure double victory in Amsterdam
Having wrapped up the FIH Hockey Pro League title a day earlier, the Dutch women put in another impressive performance against New Zealand, claiming an emphatic 7-1 win. The encounter brought with it a 250th cap for Margot van Geffen and after the match, the home crowd were given even more to celebrate as the team were handed the FIH Hockey Pro League trophy. Later in the evening, their male counterparts continued their quest to make it a Dutch double, beating Germany 2-0 to ensure they remain in the hunt to overtake Great Britain at the top of the tournament table. Belgium and Spain remain the only other men’s teams apart from GB and the Netherlands still in the running to take top honours.
Black Sticks women hammered by Netherlands at FIH Pro League
The Black Sticks women were massively outclassed by the Netherlands in their latest Pro League clash. (File photo) Matthew Impey/Photosport
The threat of relegation looms for the Black Sticks women after yet another heavy defeat at the FIH Pro League on Wednesday (NZ time).
Margot van Geffen completes 250 internationals
By Tariq Ali
Netherlands women's hockey player Margot van Geffen completes 250 matches in senior international hockey
Following is the list of Netherlands women's hockey players who earned 250 and more international hockey appearances:
312 Minke Smabers
258 Eva de Horde
258 Fatima Morris De Melo
250 Margot van Geffen
2023 CAC Games - 28 June
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
All times GMT - 4
Men
28 Jun 2023 10:00 MEX v JAM (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 12:00 BAR v ESA (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 14:00 TTO v GUY (Pool B)
28 Jun 2023 16:00 CUB v DOM (Pool B)
Pool standings
Women
27 Jun 2023 10:00 MEX v CUB (Pool A) 2 - 2
27 Jun 2023 12:00 TTO v JAM (Pool A) 4 - 0
27 Jun 2023 14:00 BAR v BER (Pool B) 3 - 2
27 Jun 2023 16:00 PUR v DOM (Pool B) 1 - 2
Pool standings
FIH Match Centre
Thrilling First Day at CAC GAMES 2023
Day 1 Full Recap
MEXICO 2 - CUBA 2
Under the scorching sun, the first game of the day took place between Mexico and Cuba. This crucial match marked the beginning of a riveting tournament where the top two teams would secure a spot in the Panam Games 2023 later in October. With the heat intensifying the battle on the field, both teams showcased their skills, resulting in an exhilarating 2-2 draw.
Field hockey at Central American and Caribbean Games: Past Final Standing
By Tariq Ali
VVIV Central American and Caribbean Games to be held in San Salvador', El Salvador from 23 June to 8 July, 2023. The field hockey event will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 28 June to 6 July, 2023.
The participating men's field hockey teams for the 24th Central American & Caribbean Games, San Salvador, 2023:
Group A: Barbados, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico
Group B: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago
The past Final Standing of Men's Hockey teams in Central American & Caribbean Games:
In Havana, Cuba, 1982:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Barbados 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Jamaica 6 Puerto Rico
In Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 1986:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Barbados 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Bermuda 6 Puerto Rico
In Mexico City, Mexico, 1990:
1 Cuba 2 Venezuela 3 Mexico 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Jamaica 6 Bermuda
In Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1993:
1 Cuba 2 Trinidad and Tobago 3 Mexico 4 Barbados 5 Guyana 6 Venezuela 7 Puerto Rico 8 Bermuda
In Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1998, Field Hockey event in Caracus, Venezuela:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Trinidad and Tobago 4 Barbados 5 Puerto Rico 6 Jamaica
In San Salvador, 2002, Field Hockey event in San Juan, Puerto Rico:
1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 Barbados 3 Mexico 4 Venezuela 5 Puerto Rico 6 Jamaica
In Barranquilla, Columbia, 2006, Field Hockey event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:
1 Cuba 2 Trinidad and Tobago 3 Netherlands Antilles 4 Mexico 5 Barbados 6 Venezuela 7 Puerto Rico 8 Dominican Republic
In Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 2010:
1 Mexico 2 Trinidad and Tobago 3 Barbados 4 Netherlands Antilles 5 Dominican Republic 6 Puerto Rico 7 Jamaica 8 Panama
In Varacruz, Mexico, 2014:
1 Cuba 2 Trinidad and Tobago 3 Mexico 4 Barbados 5 Dominican Republic 6 Jamaica 7 Guatemala
In Barranquilla, Columbia, 2018:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Trinidad and Tobago 4 Guyana 5 Barbados 6 Dominican Republic 7 Jamaica 8 Guatemala
Women
The participating women's field hockey teams for the 24th Central American & Caribbean Games, San Salvador, 2023
Group A: Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago
Group B: Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
The past Final Standing of Women's Hockey teams in Central American & Caribbean Games:
In Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 1986:
1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 Jamaica 3 Barbados 4. Mexico 5 Cuba 6 Bahamas 7 Bermuda
In Mexico City, Mexico, 1990:
1 Jamaica 2 Mexico 3 Trinidad and Tobago 4 Cuba 5 Bermuda
In Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1993:
1 Cuba 2 Jamaica 3 Trinidad and Tobago 4 Barbados 5 Mexico 6 Bermuda
In Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1998, Field Hockey in Caracus, Venezuela:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Jamaica 4 Barbados 5 Bermuda 6 Venezuela
In San Salvador, 2002, Field Hockey event in San Juan, Puerto Rico:
1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 Jamaica 3 Barbados 4 Mexico 5 Puerto Rico 6 Bermuda
In Barranquilla, Columbia, 2006, Field Hockey event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:
1 Cuba 2 Netherlands Antilles 3 Barbados 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Jamaica 6 Mexico 7 Bermuda 8 Dominican Republic
In Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 2010:
1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 Mexico 3 Barbados 4 Dominican Republic 5 Guyana 6 Jamaica 7 Puerto Rico 8 Bermuda
In Varacruz, Mexico, 2014:
1 Cuba 2 Dominican Republic 3 Mexico 4 Trinidad and Tobago 5 Barbados 6 Guyana 7 Jamaica 8 Bermuda
In Barranquilla, Columbia, 2018:
1 Cuba 2 Mexico 3 Trinidad and Tobago 4 Barbados 5 Dominican Republic 6 Jamaica 7 Guyana 8 Guatemala
Speedy Tigers edge Korea in final friendly
By Jugjet Singh
National coach Arul Selvaraj briefing his players during Tuesday’s friendly against South Korea at Jingcheon Sports Complex, Incheon. -PIC COURTESY OF MALAYSIAN HOCKEY CONFEDERATION
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian hockey team ended their series of friendly matches against South Korea by edging the former Asian champions 2-1 at Jingcheon Sports Complex, Incheon, on Tuesday.
EuroHockey5s Championship 2023 Women - 28 June
Walcz, Poland
All times GMT +2
28 Jun 2023 10:00 UKR v SWE (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 11:00 AUT v SVK (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 12:00 TUR v SUI (Pool B)
28 Jun 2023 13:00 POL v GEO (Pool B)
28 Jun 2023 16:00 NED v SWE (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 17:00 UKR v SVK (Pool A)
28 Jun 2023 18:00 WAL v GEO (Pool B)
28 Jun 2023 19:00 POL v SUI (Pool B)
Pool standings
FIH Match Centre
Lewis Prosser announces International Retirement
Hockey Wales’ most capped men’s player Lewis Prosser has announced his retirement from international hockey.
EHL Women’s avenue to earn ranking points expanded
The avenue to earn points for the Euro Hockey League Women’s ranking table will be expanded in the 2023/24 season.
De Nooijer appointed as Amsterdam’s new coach
Teun de Nooijer has been appointed as the new coach of AH&BC Amsterdam’s women’s first team as they look forward to next season’s return to the Euro Hockey League.
Day 1 Results: 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2023
New Delhi: The 13th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2023 kicked off in spectacular fashion on Tuesday with Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, and Hockey Chandigarh starting their campaign with victories in their respective matches, here, at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha.
Q&A: Erin Matson discusses transition to new role as UNC's field hockey head coach
By Caroline Wills
UNC senior forward Erin Matson (1) drives the ball during the NCAA Field Hockey Championship game against Northwestern in Storrs, Conn. on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. UNC beat Northwestern 2-1. Photo by Jerome Ibrahim | The Daily Tar Heel
The Daily Tar Heel's Caroline Wills sat down with field hockey head coach Erin Matson as she transitions from star player to head coach after she graduated in December. Matson is the most decorated field hockey player of all time, winning five ACC championships, four national championships and is a three-time Honda Award recipient.
Abdul Rehman - Surprise Package at Salalah
By Ijaz Chaudhry
Abdul Rehman- presented with Top Scorer award
At the recent Junior Asia Hockey Cup, Pakistan finished second after a pulsating final against India. The green shirts’ display was quite impressive throughout the tourney. The team included seven players who have represented the national (senior) team. One of the ‘juniors’ of the junior team was a surprise package at Salalah, Oman. Striker Abdul Rehman was declared ‘Man of Match’ in two games including the semifinal against Malaysia. He also finished as the joint-top scorer of the tournament with nine goals.
The 19 years old lad’s journey in hockey is a fascinating story.
“I come from Kot Radha Kishan, a small town in the district of Kasur. There is only one hockey club, the city club. A couple of my uncles used to play there and I started at a very early age.”
And Abdul Rehman became the first player from Kot Radha Kishan to gain selection for the Pakistan team (national or age group). For this, he gives a lot of credit to Pakistan`s finest nursery Dar Hockey Academy. Five boys of the Dar HA were members of the Pakistan team at the 2023 Junior Asia Cup.
“The older players at the city club saw something special in me. My uncles took me to the Dar Hockey Academy based in Lahore, about 55 km from Kot Radha Kishan. The academy officials took a sort of a trial and I joined the academy at the age of only 10.
“Of course, my parents were apprehensive. First of all owing to my age and, second, they wanted me to concentrate on my education. So they called me back home after a few months. “But then Dar Hockey Academy’s Chief Administrator Irfan Butt and their coach Waqas Butt came to Kot Radha Kishan to speak to my family. They told my parents that I possessed the talent to go places. Eventually, they agreed to send me back,”
‘At the Dar HA hostel, there are boys from different parts of the country. Academy takes care of everything: Boarding, lodging and schooling. Highly competent coaches train us daily on the synthetic turf of the National Hockey Stadium. We play matches against the local and outstation teams. Many of us have been recruited by departments and we represent them in the tournaments including the national senior and junior championships”
Boy`s precocious talents soon got recognition when he appeared for the Punjab team at the national under-16 championships in Khairpur in 2017.
Abdul Rehman`s first tour abroad was also with the Dar Hockey Academy. In 2019, the academy` colts toured Holland and Belgium, the powerhouses of world hockey.
“That tour did a world of good for my confidence. We played against the club sides, some of which were in the Hoofdklasse (the top tier of the Dutch League), universally acknowledged as the most competitive domestic hockey competition, with professionals playing for them. In Belgium, one match was against KHC Dragons, the biggest club of the country. I did reasonably well, and netted a few goals.”
Back here, Abdul Rehman’s game also caught the attention of some departmental teams.
“Mari Petroleum Company Limited approached me in 2020. The same year I represented them at the national juniors where we ended 3rd. Next year, it was the nationals for the first time in the MPCL colours. A few months back, I joined WAPDA, the most successful team on the domestic circuit in recent times,” he beams.
In 2021, he was called up for the national junior camp.
“The camp was for the 2021 Junior World Cup, and I consider myself lucky to be selected for the big event. At the Junior World Cup in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar, I was at the bench most of the time, and was sent on the pitch for one or two spells of 5-7 minutes during the matches.”
In June 2022, I was named in the Pakistan team for the FIH Hockey5s Tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, I was fielded regularly in the two-day event involving five national teams.”
At such an early stage of his career, the teenager already has had a stint as a professional in a foreign land.
“September last year, I played for the Omani club Bousher based in Muscat.”
It was the 2023 Junior Asia Cup where Abdul Rahman`s scoring prowess shot him to fame.
“Though I was confident to put up a good show I exceeded my own expectations, to be honest. In our second match against Thailand, I scored five of Pakistan`s nine goals and was declared Man of Match
The atmosphere in the pool game against India was electrifying with both the teams getting great support from a large number of expats. The 1-1 draw against the favourites boosted our morale. In the last pool match vs Japan, even a draw would have been sufficient for a place in the semifinal which also meant qualification for the junior World Cup. We won 3-2 after a well-contested encounter. Malaysia, our opponents in the semifinal, are ranked much higher than us. Hence, beating them 6-2 was wonderful. I had a hat trick and the second Man of Match was the icing on the cake, “he shares in a single breath.
Coming to the much talked about final.
“The stadium at Salalah was almost full in the pool game between Pakistan and India. For the final, it was overflowing; reportedly a crowd of 15,000. The Governor of Dhofar province was the chief guest. The ambassadors of Pakistan and India as well as the President of the FIH were also in attendance. Both the teams were getting vociferous support from their respective compatriots, many waving their national flags. I had only seen such scenes on TV during the cricket matches between these two countries. And to be playing in such an atmosphere gave me a surreal feeling.
The Indians dominated the first 20 minutes and led 2-0. We gradually found our feet and gave an improved display. Lead was reduced in the third quarter. Pakistan was the better side in the last quarter but the equalizer eluded us despite open play chances and penalty corners coming our way.”
“Later, I was presented with the award of the ‘Top Goal Scorer’. Having lost the final after a great fight; the award was of little consolation for me.”
The boy has the attributes of a good striker: fine positioning in the circle, finishing, ability to cleanly beat a defender or two.
Abdul Rahman who now stands 5’11” tall is a keen student of the game.
“Mostly, I watch the videos of the matches of the FIH Pro League, the flagship event of the International Hockey Federation competed by the world`s top nine nations, and learn a lot from them.
“My aim now is obviously to gain selection for the national team.”
Abdul Rehman is getting closer to achieving this aim. He has been called up for the preparatory camp for the Pakistan team for the forthcoming Asian Champions Trophy in India - his fifth national camp selection. Just a few days back, the number of the camp attendees was reduced from 45 to 30, and Abdul Rehman has been retained.
After his virtuoso performance at the Junior Asia Cup, the boy from Kot Radha Kishan stands a very good chance to make the cut this time.
Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him & his work, visit http://www.sportscorrespondent.info
Hockey Ireland announces new Chief Executive Officer.
Dublin: The Board of Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne McCormack as Hockey Ireland’s new Chief Executive Officer.