The two highest ranked men’s teams in world hockey will contest the title match in the inaugural FIH Pro League, with world champions Belgium set to take on in form Australia in Sunday’s event final following two thrilling semi-final matches at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium on Friday (28 June). Second ranked Australia produced a powerhouse performance to dismantle Great Britain 6-1 with Jacob Anderson scoring a six minute hat-trick as the Kookaburras matched the Hockeyroos as FIH Pro League finalists, while a moment of dazzling brilliance from Tom Boon helped top ranked Belgium overcome lowland rivals and FIH Pro League Grand Final hosts the Netherlands with a 3-1 score-line. The Netherlands and Great Britain will play in Sunday’s 3-4 play-off match at 1430 Central European Summer Time (CEST – UTC/GMT+2), with the title match between Australia and Belgium getting underway at 1700. The first semi-final saw FIH Pro League table-toppers Australia (FIH World Ranking: 2) taking on fourth placed finishers Great Britain (WR:7) in a match that was packed full of action and goals. The chances of an upset increased significantly in the fifth minute when Australia’s Jeremy Hayward received a green card two minute suspension and a re-award of a penalty corner. Great Britain took full advantage of the situation, with Ashley Jackson slamming a low effort against the back-board for his first goal since his return to international hockey after a near three-year absence. Australia’s response was both ruthless and emphatic, with striker Jacob Anderson scoring three times in just six minutes to establish a 3-1 lead for the Kookaburras. Anderson’s first and third goals were finishes of real composure, although it was his second goal that was arguably the pick of his quick-fire treble, showing brilliant control before unleashing a ferocious strike that left GB goalkeeper George Pinner stranded. Great Britain had some good moments towards the end of the half, but it was the Australians who extended their advantage with two goals in quick succession shortly after half time when Jeremy Hayward and Blake Govers – the latter scoring his 11th goal of the FIH Pro League – drag-flicked the team into a 5-1 lead before Tim Brand added a sixth in the final quarter. “We stuck to our game plan really well”, said hat-trick hero Jacob Anderson after the match. “We wanted to attack the right side of the field and we got a lot of circle penetrations down that side which obviously I score my goals from, so we are pretty happy with how we played as a team and the goals I scored reflected that.” Great Britain captain Adam Dixon said: “It was an incredibly tough game. The way you start the game against Australia often sets the tone for the game, and I think we really went out there to step our authority on it for the first five or ten minutes. Then, a couple of mistakes against Australia, they are always going to put those opportunities away and then we were always fighting our way back into it. We want to go out on a high … we’ll be looking to put on our best showing on Sunday [in the bronze medal match].” The opening stages of the Belgium (WR:1) versus Netherlands (WR:3) semi-final was intense and dramatic, with both teams clearly taking to the field with a determination to assert their authority over the other. Injuries to Belgium’s Thomas Briels and Jorrit Croon of the Netherlands hampered both teams, while tempers flared when Dutch ace Jeroen Hertzberger and Red Lions defender Alexander Hendrickx clashed, resulting both players being given ten minute yellow card suspensions. With both teams reduced to ten players, it was the Belgians – beaten twice by the Dutch in the regular FIH Pro League season – who made the extra man count when Arthur Van Doren split the defence with a trademark slap-pass from the left that was touched home from close range by Tanguy Cosyns in the 18th minute. However, the Dutch pulled themselves level eight minutes later thanks to Jelle Galema, who tapped home after a superb interchange down the right from Thierry Brinkman and Jip Janssen, the latter supplying the perfect cross for Galema to score. The Netherlands had missed some good opportunities to take the lead in the third quarter, something that proved costly when Belgium’s Tom Boon produced a moment of outrageous, individual brilliance. The Red Lions striker showed an incredible first touch to receive a wonderful Felix Denayer pass deep in Netherlands territory before juggling past Joep de Mol and lifting over the onrushing goalkeeper Sam van der Ven to score from a tight angle. It was a remarkable finish that swung the match fully in Belgium’s favour, with Alexander Hendrickx slamming home a four quarter penalty corner to seal the victory and send the reigning world champions into the final. “It was a really important game for us as it’s been a long time since we got a win against Holland”, said Belgium captain Thomas Briels after the match. “We won at the world cup but the match finished a draw, so we really wanted win in front of their home crowd which is more difficult. I think today the victory was deserved.” Discussing Tom Boon’s stunning goal, Briels said: “It was incredible. Sometimes you get a little flash as a striker, and I think he is going to remember this one for a long time. I’m really happy for him.” Netherlands star Seve van Ass said: “Both teams had momentum, but in the third quarter we has some good opportunities and did not score from those. Then we felt the game turning a little bit, and they got the better part of us in the fourth quarter. If we’d have scored a couple of goals it would have been different, but that’s always the same, of course.” On Saturday 29 June, the winner of the inaugural women’s FIH Pro League competition will be decided. World champions the Netherlands, who

Continue Reading →

The final of the women’s FIH Pro League competition will be contested between home favourites the Netherlands and Australia following two fiercely contested semi-final matches, with both teams overcoming monumental challenges posed by Germany and Argentina – who will play for bronze – at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. The final and bronze medal matches take place on Saturday 29 June. Argentina (FIH World Ranking: 4) made a sparkling start to the first semi-final and needed less than four minutes to open the match scoring, with Julieta Jankunas showing a cool head to eliminate Australia (WR:3) goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and fire into an empty goal after Carla Rebecchi sparked a rapid counter-attack. Having largely dominated the play and scoring chances, it was a lead that Las Leonas deservedly took into the quarter-time break, although the Hockeyroos improved greatly in the second period and, despite numerous chances for the Argentineans, pulled level on the stroke of half time. A penalty corner drag-flick from Jodie Kenny drew the Aussies level, with the effort taking a huge deflection from the stick of Argentine defender Victoria Sauze to deceive goalkeeper Belen Succi and find the bottom right corner. The third quarter was tense and twitchy with neither side able to take control, although it was the South Americans who came closest to a winner in the final period as Agustina Albertarrio, Florencia Habif and Eugenia Trinchinetti all had clear sights of goal but failed to test the goalkeeper. The result was eventually settled by a shoot-out that saw both teams gain slim advantages before finishing with the scores locked at 3-3, triggering sudden death. Rosie Malone put the Hockeyroos into a 4-3 lead, meaning that Silvina D’Elia had to score in order to keep the contest alive. However, Australia goalkeeper Lynch – later named Player of the Match – did everything in her power to stop D’Elia from getting her shot away, with the clock timing out the Argentinean player as Australia reached the final of the FIH Pro League. “I’m super excited, I’m so happy”, said Australia’s Brooke Peris after the match. “Lynchy was outstanding in the one-on-ones, as was Rosie [Malone]. Some times you win like that and I guess we deserve to go through, and I’m very excited for the weekend.” Argentina’s Agustina Albertarrio said: I think it was hard game and we deserved to win, but now we have to look forward to the [bronze medal] game.” Australia awaited the winner of the second semi-final, as hosts and FIH Pro League table-toppers the Netherlands (WR:1) faced Germany (WR:5), who finished the regular season in fourth place. The Oranje were heavy favourites, but it was Germany who scored first and then proceeded to frustrate the world champions for long periods. Die Danas took the lead one minute before the end of the first quarter and it was a strike to savour, with Rebecca Grote’s penalty corner drag-flick flying into the top left corner of the Dutch goal. The Netherlands battled hard but found the Germany defence at the top of their game, making numerous important blocks and also making full use of their video referral in order to overturn the award of a penalty stroke just before half time. Inspired by a Player of the Match performance from defender Sonja Zimmermann, Germany soaked up relentless Netherlands pressure in the third and fourth quarters, with goalkeeper Nathalie Kubalski brilliantly denying Frederique Matla and Xan de Waard while Pia Maertens showed terrific 3D skills to almost score for Germany very much against the run of play. The Netherlands finally got the breakthrough they both needed and deserved in 52nd minute thanks to a wonderful defected effort from Frederique Matla, who guided a cross from the right into the bottom left corner just seconds after Germany’s Elisa Gräve had been given a yellow card five minute suspension. Gräve was still serving her suspension when Lidewij Welten scored the winner, producing a wonderful spin shot to pick out the bottom right corner and put the Netherlands into the gold medal match with a 2-1 victory. “I’m really happy with the win in the end, but we didn’t really play our own game so I’m not very happy about that and that’s something we can definitely do better on Saturday [in the final]”, said Netherlands captain Eva de Goede. “We really wanted to start well, but we didn’t. Germany played really well though, so I’m really happy that we turned it around into a 2-1 victory for us.” Germany captain Janne Müller-Wieland said: “We are gutted that we gave it away in the last minutes again, because we had a strong start, played really well. We weren’t afraid of the Dutch at all. It’s just annoying that we gave it away. Also, in the second half we had three cards and it is so tough to compete with such a nation being one person down. We did really well and will learn from it, but right now it’s just really annoying.” The match between Netherlands and Germany was a special one for umpire Sarah Wilson, who took charge of her 100th international match. In recognition of this special achievement, Sarah was present with her Golden Whistle by Marijke Fleuren, European Hockey Federation President and FIH Executive Board member. Friday 28 June is men’s semi-finals day at the FIH Pro League Grand Final, with two world class matches featuring the four highest finishers in the regular FIH Pro League season taking place on the second of four days of top-class hockey action at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium. Table-toppers Australia (FIH World Ranking: 2) face fourth place finishers Great Britain (WR:7) at 1715 (CEST – GMT/UTC+2) ahead of a meeting between world champions Belgium (WR:1) and European champions the Netherlands (WR:3), who finished second and third in the standings respectively, at 2000. The winners of the men’s semi-finals will meet in the title match on Sunday 30 June, with the losing teams playing in the 3-4 play-off. A

Continue Reading →

Friday 28 June is men’s semi-finals day at the FIH Pro League Grand Final, with two world class matches featuring the four highest finishers in the regular FIH Pro League season taking place on the second of four days of top-class hockey action at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium. Table-toppers Australia (WR:2) face fourth place finishers Great Britain (WR:7) at 1715 ahead of a meeting between world champions Belgium (WR:1) and European champions the Netherlands (WR:3), who finished second and third in the standings respectively, at 2000. The winners of the men’s semi-finals will meet in the title match on Sunday 30 June, with the losing teams playing in the 3-4 play-off. Information about and quotes from the teams taking part in the semi-finals can be found below, with a complete list of fixtures for the four-day showpiece available here. Australia vs Great Britain (1stvs 4th FIH Pro League)  Previous FIH Pro League meetings 16 February 2019: Australia 2-0 Great Britain – Perth Hockey Stadium (AUS) 9 June 2019: Great Britain 2-2 Australia (4-3 after shoot-out) – Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London (ENG) Australia  FIH World Ranking (as of January 2019): 2 How they qualified: 1st Place – FIH Pro League FIH Pro League results summary: Pl: 14 Wins: 10 Draws: 2 SO-Bonus: 0 Losses: 2 GF: 40 GA: 26 GD: 14 Pts: 32 Notable honours: Olympic gold medallists (2004), 3x Olympic silver medallists (1968, 1976, 1992), 5x Olympic bronze medallists (1964, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012), 3x FIH Men’s World Cup winners (1986, 2010, 2014), Hockey World League champions (2015, 2017), 15x Champions Trophy winners (1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018), 6x Commonwealth Games gold medallists (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018), 10x Oceania Cup champions (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). About the team:Australia – coached former Kookaburra Colin Batch, a gold medallist at the 1986 FIH Men’s World Cup in Willesden, England – secured a first-place finish by winning ten of their 14 matches, recording notable away wins over world champions Belgium, Olympic champions Argentina and European champions the Netherlands. The Kookaburras squad is packed full of quality and experience. The 350 capped Eddie Ockenden co-captains the team alongsideinfluential defender / midfielder Aran Zalewski, while Matthew Swann, Jake Whetton and goalkeeping duo Tyler Lovell and Andrew Charter have performed excellently this year. Blake Govers, Jeremy Hayward, Tim Brand, Daniel Beale, Jacob Anderson, Tom Wickham and Tom Craig have all made significant goal-scoring contributions over the course of the FIH Pro League. Make no mistake about it, the Kookaburras are serious contenders for the title. Coach Comment – Colin Batch: “The FIH Pro League has seen us play against the best over a six-month period. We’re really excited about the finals – we’ve been working towards this point since January and now we’re here. The renovated [Wagener] stadium is fantastic, and we know that the hockey fans will make it a great experience for us.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/australia__4840 Hockey Australia website: www.hockey.org.au Twitter – @kookaburras Facebook: @TheKookaburras Instagram: hockeyaustraliaofficial Great Britain FIH World Ranking (as of January 2019): 7 How they qualified: 4thPlace – FIH Pro League FIH Pro League results summary: Pl: 14 Wins: 6 Draws: 3 SO-Bonus: 1 Losses: 5 GF: 35 GA: 31 GD: 4 Pts: 22 Notable honours: 2x Olympic gold medallists (1920, 1988), Olympic silver medallists (1948), 2x Olympic bronze medallists (1952, 1984), FIH Champions Trophy silver medallists (1985), 2x FIH Champions Trophy bronze medallists (1978, 1984) About the team: Great Britain’s qualification for the FIH Pro League Grand Final was achieved in dramatic fashion on the final day of the regular league season. A 4-1 defeat for Olympic champions Argentina against world champions Belgium in Antwerp denied the Pan American giants the point they needed to guarantee qualification, with Great Britain’s 2-0 victory over New Zealand in front of 12,000 fans on a magnificent occasion at the Twickenham Stoop – where pioneering technology has been used to lay a temporary hockey pitch in a rugby stadium – being enough to put GB into the final four by virtue of a superior goal difference. The team coached by Danny Kerry have achieved some eye-catching results this year, claiming away wins in Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and New Zealand. Phil Roper (8 goals), Sam Ward (8) and Alan Forsyth (5) have been in devastating goal-scoring form, bagging 21 of Great Britain’s 35 goals in the FIH Pro League. The recent return of all-time top scorer Ashley Jackson has further increased their attacking potency, making GB a side more than capable of causing an upset in Amsterdam. Player Perspective – Adam Dixon (captain): “It’s a bit of a relief to be honest. It’s been a long league with a lot of trips, travelling and time away from home. And to make it all worthwhile with an appearance at the Grand Finals makes it all the more sweet. We’re excited to be there, to go and express ourselves on what is a nothing-to-lose-everything-to-gain weekend in Amsterdam.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/great-britain__4837 Website: http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/ Twitter: @GBHockey Facebook: @GBHockey Instagram:gbhockey Belgium vs Netherlands (2ndvs 3rd)  Previous FIH Pro League meetings 8 June 2019:Belgium 0-4 Netherlands– Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp (BEL) 9 June 2019: Netherlands 4-3 Belgium– HC Den Bosch, s-Hertogenbosch (NED) Belgium FIH World Ranking (as of January 2019): 1 How they qualified: 2ndPlace – FIH Pro League FIH Pro League results summary:  Pl:14 Wins: 8 Draws: 3 SO-Bonus: 1 Losses: 3 GF: 52 GA: 29 GD: 23 Pts: 28 Notable honours: World Cup winners – Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, Olympic silver medallists (2016), Olympic bronze medallists (1920), Hockey World League silver medallists (2015), European silver medallists (2013, 2017), European bronze medallists (2007), 5th place – Olympic Games (2012), 5th place – Rabobank Hockey World Cup (2014), 5th place – Hero Hockey Champions Trophy (2014). About the team: Reigning world champions Belgium finished second in the standings with eight wins from 14 matches, recording excellent away victories against Olympic champions Argentina, Australia and Great Britain. The team coached by New Zealander Shane McLeod suffered a double set-back in home and away defeats against the Netherlands but responded magnificently with an 8-0 away demolition of Germany before thrashing New Zealand 4-0. While

Continue Reading →

With a place at the FIH Olympic qualifiers already guaranteed for Canada and Spain, the final match of the entire FIH Series Finals competition could have fizzled out into a tame affair. But this was far from the case as both teams gave their all to finish their campaigns in winning style. In the end, the host nation and top-ranked team were the stronger side on the day and, although Canada continued to impress with their strength, speed and tactical nous, it was Adrian Lock’s team that created the chances and capitalised on them to take first place. Canada will take consolation from the fact that they picked up two of the four individual awards – top scorer and young player – and they will have shifted significantly up the FIH World Rankings when they are announced. In the match for third place, Italy were the stronger side on the day and emerged as convincing winners over a South Africa team that had given its all the previous day. Match 19 Italy v South Africa With the two teams so closely matched in the FIH World Rankings and both teams still hurting from their respective losses to Canada and Spain in the semi-finals the previous day, this match between Italy (WR:17) and South Africa (WT:15) was always going to be a hard-hitting encounter. In the early exchanges, captain Chiara Tiddi was magnificent in the Italian midfield, striding the length of the pitch, distributing the ball when her team were in attack and mopping up anything that came near her. Both teams had early chances to take the lead, but a penalty corner apiece came to nothing. Towards the end of the quarter a beautifully weighted ball from Kirsten Paton found Nomnikelo Veto with only the Italian goalkeeper to beat but Natalia Schinoni stood up and held the South African striker at bay until her defence arrived. It was the Italian ‘keeper who kept her side in the match in the first half as South Africa fired in some fierce penalty corner shots. Her counterpart, Phumelela Mbande, also had her chance to demonstrate her excellent reactions when she pulled off a save late in the second quarter. The very hot temperature was taking its toll on the players as they came out for the second half. Both teams play a very physical game and these final 30 minutes of play were going to take a supreme effort by the athletes. It was Italy who had clearly decided they needed to get a grip on the game in the next 15 minutes and suddenly the game took on a different complexion. Driven on by the ceaseless running of Maryna Vynohradova and ably backed up by Elisabetta Pacella, Italy started to look the more confident side. Pressure was rewarded by three goals in four minutes. The first two came from almost identical penalty corners, with the ball being swept in by first Giuliana Ruggieri and then Lara Oviedo. The third goal was pure class. The move began with the dancing feet of Pacella as she skipped past the South African sticks before passing to Eugenia Bianchi, who had no hesitation shooting past Phumelela. South Africa got a consolation goal through Taryn Glasby but the disappointment of the previous day, combined with the ferocity of the Italian attack in the second half of the match, had put this game out of the African team’s reach. “We wanted to prove we were a different team to the one you saw yesterday,” said Italy’s captain Chiara Tiddi. “That is the beauty of tournament hockey, you can put a bad performance behind you and play better the next day. “It was difficult today because we had run a lot in the match against Canada yesterday, and we had not run smartly. But we put in the effort and once we had scored the first goal, we relaxed. This tournament, and today’s win, is an important step for our team.” Italy 3, South Africa 1 Umpires: Emma Shelbourn (ENG), Catalina Montesino (CHI). Match 20 Canada v Spain A busy, frenetic and high quality first 15 minutes of the final match of this competition saw Spain take the lead after a devastating turn of speed by Begona Garcia left the opposition trailing in her wake. Marta Segu was on hand to put the ball in the net after Garcia’s initial shot was saved. Canada came straight back with their own sustained period of pressure and Sara McManus was able to strike a penalty corner with her usual unstoppable force to bring the scores to 1-1. Spain then took up the mantle with some great attacking play. One attempt at goal hit the post and rebounded to safety but seconds later a mis-hit penalty corner from Clara Ycart saw the ball slip under Kaitlyn William’s foot to give Spain the lead again. After the quarter break, Canada again brought the scores level. A great run by Kate Wright resulted in a pass that flew past the face of the Spanish goal and Brienne Stairs made no mistake to score her eighth goal of the competition. In this rapid-fire game, Spain re-took the lead when Lola Riera sent the ball flying into William’s net to make it 3-2. In the second half, the Spanish side began to take control of the match and Canada looked like a side that had reached the end of their energy levels. A fourth goal was scored from yet another penalty corner, this time by Carmen Cano to give Spain a two goal advantage. This would have been extended further but for a magnificent save by Williams in the Canada goal. “I am really happy,” said Spain Head Coach Adrian Lock. “We got better through the tournament. We have a few new players so that didn’t help too much and they needed bedding in. But through the tournament we grew and grew and each game got better. The Wales game was a turning point and we took

Continue Reading →

Canada turned on the style as they hit seven goals past a shell-shocked Italy to seal a place in the final of the FIH Series Finals, as well as an all-important ticket to the FIH Olympic qualifiers later this year. South Africa were also looking for that all important semi-final win but it was not to be for the plucky African nation as they fell to a Begona Garcia penalty corner just six minutes from the final whistle.  The celebrations among the Spanish team and the fans in the stadium, and the despair of the South Africans, were an indication of just what this match meant to everyone involved. The result means Canada will play Spain in the final, while South Africa and Italy will contest third place. Match 17 Canada v Italy Both teams sang their hearts out at their respective national anthems and they gave their all in the match but, in the end it was Canada (WR:21) who steamrolled over Italy (WR:17) taking this game, and a place in the FIH Olympic qualifiers, with an emphatic victory over their high-ranked rivals. Canada began on the front foot and a warning as to their attacking intentions came when Natalie Sourisseau drove into the circle and smashed the ball against the side of the Italian goal. The first quarter was end-to-end stuff as Canada threw everything at the Italian defence, including some impressive 3D skills from Brienne Stairs, but Italy’s experienced duo of Chiara Tiddi and Celina Traverso at the heart of their defence meant the European team were able to take some of the heat from the Canada ‘Wolf Pack’ attack. At the other end of the field, the Canadian defence of Shanlee Johnston, Sara McManus and Danielle Hennig was proving equally effective as they shut down the Italian forays up the pitch, which were spearheaded by Maryna Vynohradova and Jasbeer Singh. It was in the final minute of the quarter that the breakthrough came. The first penalty corner of the match fell to Canada and Sara McManus made no mistake as she shot the ball home with precision and speed. It was Italy’s turn in the second quarter as they won two quick penalty corners. Kaitlyn Williams saved the first – a straight shot from Tiddi – and the second was chased down by a determined Canada defence. Canada’s second goal was sheer genius. Stairs showed some incredible stick skills to weave through the midfield. Her pass found Rachel Donohoe, who shot home on the reverse to give her side a 2-0 lead. The game got tastier as the half counted down with both teams working hard to get the next goal. Italy were driving hard at the Canada defence but any mazy run by a speedy blue shirted player was met by a barrier of strong Canadian sticks. Stairs was the next to get her name on the score-sheet – a goal that moved her to joint top of the goal-scoring table. Her crisp turn and shot, following sustained circle pressure by her team mates, left Natalia Schinoni unable to react in time and the ball flew into the net to give the North American team an unassailable lead. The second half brought more pressure from Canada and for the first few minutes Italy seemed clean out of ideas. A speculative ball by Holly Stewart nearly gave Canada a fourth goal and the play just summed up her team’s approach – this was a team supremely confident in their own game. Canada won two successive penalty corners and, although Italy dealt with the first, the second was a rocket of a shot that truly put them match beyond Italy. Karli Johansen was the scorer – a just reward for the shift she had put in at the heart of the Canada defence. Italy threw everything they could at Canada in the final 15 minutes. Another well-struck Tiddi penalty corner was saved by Williams as she dived to her right. And for a few minutes Canada were forced to defend. But this is a new resolute Canada and, after weathering the Italian storm, they scored their fifth, a beautifully taken penalty corner from the stick of Karli Johansen. The sixth goal came as Donohoe ran around the back of the defence and her shot bounced from an Italian stick into the goal to give her side an emphatic 6-0 lead. And the icing on the cake came for Hannah Haughn who was on hand to score Canada’s seventh goal just one minute before the final whistle. “This moment means everything. We’ve moved to Belgium, we’ve moved from our partners and homes and we have lost our funding,” said an emotional Hannah Haughn. “So this moment for us means everything. We have come through the highs and lows and come out on top. “We were looking to play Canadian hockey because we have been building up to this moment for almost two years now. We wanted to build up and play smart balls and I am so happy we were able to do that today. We have been about gritty defence in the past but now we are playing a forward-playing style and it was incredible to see so many goal in the net today.” Canada 7, Italy 0 (semi-final) Umpires: Wanri Venter (RSA), Emma Shelbourn (ENG)  Match 18 South Africa v Spain The host nation Spain (WR:7) started this must-win match the sharper and were rewarded with a penalty corner in the fifth minute. South Africa’s goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande was alert to the danger of the deflected shot and cleared well but Spain continued to pile on the pressure in the early stages of this game. South Africa (WR:15), for their part, were easing themselves into the game, playing the ball conservatively around the pitch and attempting to force their opponents wide when they were chasing possession. In these early exchanges Spain were the more inventive. Aerial balls from deep in the defence set up attacks and the

Continue Reading →

Lausanne, Switzerland: The President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, has been elected IOC member at the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee today in Lausanne. While the appointment of Dr. Batra as candidate for this position was linked to his function as President of the Indian Olympic Association, this is great news for hockey and its status within the international sports family. “I feel both honored and energised to be charged with this high responsibility. I can assure everybody of my highest commitment to promote the Olympic values and develop sport globally. In addition to my passion for sport and my experience in the management of sport’s institutions, I’m also a firm believer that sport is one of the very few universal languages that has the power to unite people. I will make sure that the values of hockey, in particular our #EquallyAmazing principle, are always central to my work,” stated Dr. Batra upon his election. Dr. Batra was elected as FIH President at the 45th Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in November 2016. He had been a member of the Executive Board since the 2014 FIH Congress. In 2014, Dr. Batra was given the FIH President’s Award in recognition of his long and valuable services to hockey. Since December 2017, he has been the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a position for which he was elected thanks to his long-time involvement in the management of hockey in India, primarily. Source: FIH

Belarus played a strong, disciplined game to overcome a battling Wales in the race for fifth place at the FIH Series Finals in Valencia. A 2-0 lead looked to be enough until Wales mounted a last-ditch effort in the final quarter, but Belarus held firm to win 2-1 and finish in fifth position. Wales finish sixth. In the earlier match, Thailand beat Namibia 2-1 to take seventh place in the competition. Highlights of an entertaining match were the two goals by Thailand’s captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak and the consistently good performance, under immense pressure, of Namibia’s goalkeeper Petro Stoffberg. Match 15 Namibia v Thailand Coming into this match playing for seventh place at the FIH Series Finals, neither team had won a match and only Namibia (FIH World Ranking:42) had scored a goal – albeit against the highest ranked team, Spain. But both teams were determined to end their tournament experience on a high and so the game was open and attacking from the first whistle. The first quarter was very much spilt between Namibia controlling the first part of the quarter and Thailand (WR:28) dominating the second. And it was Thailand who opened the scoring during that period of sustained pressure, with captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak picking up the ball on the edge of the circle and striking a fierce shot which flew past Petro Stoffberg in the Namibia goal. Thailand had a chance to increase their score at the start of the second quarter when they won their first penalty corner but Namibia’s defence was strong and they cleared well. Led by the ever-busy Magreth Mengo, Namibia sought a way to break down the Thailand defence and create their own scoring opportunities. That chance came with Namibia’s first penalty corner of the match but the shot was chased down. A second corner was awarded but Thailand were not letting their lead slip easily and they were soon playing the ball in the Namibia half again. As the half continued, so Thailand began to look more like a team with a winning mentality. The players were happy to run at the African team’s defence, with Thanaporn Tongkham and Kornkanok Sanpoung particularly causing problems in the circle. The second goal was also scored by Sakulpithak, who made a strong run around the back of the Namibian circle before unleashing a shot into the Namibian goal. The second half saw both teams determined to leave everything on the pitch. Sakulpithak came close to scoring her third goal but her shot flew over the cross bar. But, despite a lot of Thai pressure, it was Namibia who scored next. Some good pressure around the Thailand circle saw Joane van Rooyen start the move that led to the goal. Her pass found Dure Boshoff who showed tremendous strength to keep possession and slip to Kiana-Che Cormack. The 17-year-old made certain that her shot was buried in Siraya Yimrajang’s goal to make it 2-1. “We are disappointed with that loss because we wanted to go out with a win and get our rankings high,” said Jerrica Bartlett, “But we fought until the end and our scoreline in the past few games do not reflect what we played like. We are a young side, our average age is 18, so this is an awesome experience. All we can do is grow from here.” Bartlett’s sister, Kiana-Che Cormack added: “Scoring felt amazing. It doesn’t happen often when you are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. It was a tough match, so scoring kept us in the match.” Double goalscorer Tikhamporn Sakulpithak said: “I am very proud of the team. We played really well and I was very pleased to score the goals but it was a great effort by everyone in the team.” Supansa Samanso added: “The first feeling was that we had to win that game. We wanted to leave the FIH Series Final with a win. For future tournaments, we have learnt that when we go into the lead we have to keep pushing for more goals.” Namibia 1, Thailand 2 (7/8th play-off) Umpires: Dahiya Deepa (IND), Ines El Hajim (FRA)  Match 16 Wales v Belarus In the battle for fifth place Belarus (WR:20) looked the stronger team in the opening stages, creating more attacking opportunities. But Wales (WR:27) had learnt a lot about defending under pressure from their encounter with Spain the previous day and, in those early exchanges, the team broke down the Belarus attack and played the ball calmly out of their defending circle. It was Wales who won the first penalty corner but their usual slick routine fell down under the strong running of the Belarus defence. The second quarter took a similar pattern as the Belarus team looked to swing the ball swiftly and strongly around the pitch, while Wales defended with huge amounts of discipline and then looked to catch their higher-ranked opponents on the break. Belarus continued to push and their persistence paid off as they won two consecutive penalty corners. The second of these was well-converted by Krestina Papkova to give Belarus a 1-0 lead. It also moved the talented goalscorer to the top of the goalscoring table. Urged forward by hard-working captain Leah Wilkinson, who recently became her country’s highest capped sports player, Wales won their second penalty corner. Again, the usually reliable not-so-secret weapon let the team down and Belarus was able to counter attack with a speedy surge up the pitch by Ulyana Kasabutskaya. Xenna Hughes was the next to show a devastating turn of speed. The attacking midfielder tore up the pitch but her cross was cut out by Maryna Navitskaya in the Belarus goal. The game definitely turned the way of Belarus just ahead of the half-time break. A penalty corner was awarded and Maryna Nikitsina was on hand to volley the ball home. In the second half, Wales tried everything they could to break the stranglehold that Belarus had upon the game. Two searching crosses by, first Eloise Laity and then Wilkinson, would

Continue Reading →

Two tasty semi-finals await in Valencia as the final FIH Series Finals event moves towards its concluding stages. A confident and disciplined Italy saw off the challenge of Belarus to set up a match with in-form Canada, while host nation Spain will play South Africa after a tenacious display that saw the top-ranked team emerge 1-0 winners against a gritty Welsh side. The result means Belarus and Wales will play off for fifth place in tomorrow’s second match of the day. Match 13 Italy v Belarus The opening exchanges between the two sides were well-balanced although Italy (WR:17) looked the more composed. And it was Italy who created the early chances; first a penalty corner shot from captain Chiara Tiddi that flew wide and then a diving effort from Ivana Pessina, which was well-saved by Maryna Navitskaya in the Belarus (WR:20) goal. The next Italian attempt on goal came after a mazy run from Maryna Vynohradova. The Italian goal machine elected not to shoot on this occasion, passing to Jasbeer Singh. The resulting shot from Singh went just wide. Belarus for their part were playing a patient passing game. A searching aerial ball into the Italian circle upset the higher-ranked team for a moment and, among the blue-shirted ranks, was a sudden realisation that Belarus had a game-plan of their own. After that scare, Italy put together a swift passing movement that forced a penalty corner. Lara Oviedo made no mistake as she deflected the initial shot high into the Belarus goal net. The second quarter yielded no further goals as Italy looked to take the pace out of the game and Belarus were happy, at this stage, to simply contain the Italian attacks. Ryta Batura, in particular, was playing a strong defensive game to keep the Italian attack out of the circle. Italy’s goalkeeper Natalia Schinoni was called into action for the first time when Yuliya Kurhanskaya unleashed a shot that whipped at hip height at the goal. Schinoni reacted fast and the teams entered the break separated by a one goal margin. The Italian lead was doubled when Sofia Cessaneli did a neat reverse stick tap into the goal following Italy’s fourth consecutive penalty corner. The Italian side had tried three variations before a double slip left Cessanelli with the space to score. The quarter was all but over when Eugenia Bianchi was able to take the score to 3-0 and effectively put the game out of Belarus’ reach. The midfielder was on hand to flick the ball home after Navitskaya had blocked the initial penalty corner shot. The final quarter saw Elisabetta Pacella add to the Italy scoreline with a skilfully taken goal that she seemed to pluck out of mid-air before scoring on the volley. The goal symbolised the confidence with which Italy performed throughout this game. Belarus did score a consolation goal – Elena Sazhina was on hand to send the ball past Schinoni after sustained Belarus pressure in the final 10 minutes. Despite his pleasure that his side scored, the goal left Head Coach Herman Kruis wondering why his side hadn’t been able to produce such hockey earlier in the match. “I am really disappointed as we haven’t played the game we can play,” said the Head Coach. “There were a lot of technical mistakes which meant that Italy could press us easily. Also, Italy were much more innovative in the ‘D’.” Captain of Italy, Chiara Tiddi said “When we played in the World Cup we gained the confidence and belief that we can play anyone. I think we learnt then that we need to play every minute of every game and in the crucial game, such as today, we were calm and confident.” The result means Italy will face Canada in the first semi-final on Wednesday. Italy 4, Belarus 1 (cross-over match) Umpires: Gabriele Schmitz (GER), Catalina Montesino (CHI)  Match 14 Spain v Wales With 20 places separating Spain (WR:7) and Wales (WR:27), this could have been a one-sided show. The coaching team of Kevin Johnson and Gareth Weaver-Tyler and their team had other ideas however and from the first whistle the Welsh were happy to take the game to the World Cup bronze medalists – defending with courage and counter-attacking when the chance arose. But Spain are not ranked top-10 for nothing and soon the Red Sticks were piling on the pressure and eventually the Welsh wall was breached. The goal was fortuitous for Spain. Rose Thomas made a great reaction save but the ball bounced off a player, off the post and Lucia Jimenez found herself on the score sheet with the most unlikeliest of goals. For those opening moments there was little doubt about the Spanish intention. Wave after wave of speedy attack saw Thomas called into action time and again. The danger player, among many, was Beatriz Perez, her devastating turn of speed left players trailing in her wake. However, despite sustained pressure, the first quarter saw only the one goal. If the first quarter had been played at a ferocious intensity that had put Wales under the cosh, the second quarter was far more about the Welsh passing game. It was Spain’s turn to defend as Wales showed their own attacking instincts – Danni Jordan and Hannah Cozens were particularly busy as they tried to find an equaliser. Towards the end of the quarter, a lovely aerial ball from Joanne Westwood released Cozens down the right-hand side of the Welsh attack. A scurrying Spanish defence kept the Welsh striker at bay. The importance of Georgina Oliver at the heart of the Spanish defence was highlighted during this period of pressure. The midfield/defender emerged with the ball time and again, using all her experience to set up counter-attacks. If Spain were expecting the Wales team to eventually wilt under the pressure then the third quarter showed just what level of resilience the Welsh side has developed in recent months. Thomas is absolutely essential to this, her calm presence and agility

Continue Reading →

Lausanne, Switzerland: With more hockey National Associations involved every year, the hockey community has greatly supported and celebrated the 2019 Olympic Day all over the world. From Asia to Africa, Europe to Oceania, North to South America, more than 60 National Associations have organized specific activities on the occasion of Olympic Day. Throughout last week, FIH.ch has embarked you on a journey highlighting some of these projects: – On the Pan American continent, the Chilean Hockey Federation is starting an initiative to introduce hockey to young people with physical and learning disabilities. The initiative is being launched through four workshops across the country, where people of all abilities can join together and spend a day playing hockey. The workshops are being run by experienced coaches and all the participants – with or without disabilities – are enjoying a day of fun, entertaining and educational hockey activities. – In Europe, the Czech Republic Hockey Association is using the occasion to showcase the diversity and global nature of hockey. International schools are competing in a tournament, running alongside the schools’ competition. Additionally, there is a Beach Hockey tournament. This represents innovation within the sport. The message: you don’t need a state-of-art artificial turf to play hockey, a pitch marked out on the beach can be equally fun and exciting. – Schools across Zimbabwe, in Africa, are combining sport and art in celebration of Olympic Day. Pupils of all age groups are being encouraged to design a poster as the Zimbabwe Hockey Association pulls out all the stops to raise awareness among children of both the message and ideals of the Olympic movement as well as the inclusivity of hockey as a sport for all. – In Tonga, Oceania, it’s all about the role that hockey can play in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Many of the activities focus on primary school children, with the idea that encouraging an active lifestyle from an early age will develop habits that last a lifetime. Also, a strong message is sent surrounding the #EquallyAmazing campaign. In a country where many young girls and women do little sporting activity, this is a chance to change that. – In Asia, the Afghanistan Hockey Association has ambitions to restore hockey’s popularity in the country and is using Olympic Day as a vehicle to do this. The Association is looking to use hockey as a tool for peace and a means of rebuilding society. It was 73 years ago that Afghanistan was one of the top 10 hockey nations in the world. Since then, wars and civil unrest have meant that the sport has drifted out of public consciousness and the national men’s team now sits at 91 in the FIH World Rankings, while the women have no world ranking at all. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has made best use of its campaign “Sticks for the World” to have sticks donated to young hockey players by elite players involved in the FIH Series Finals in Hiroshima, Japan, and Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France, as well as in the Women’s FIH Pro League match USA-Germany, therefore supporting activities to grow hockey. In Le Touquet, sticks were donated to Senegal, the host of the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. FIH is currently developing a Targeted Assistance Progamme (TAP) in the West African country. As part of FIH’s Hockey4Life global development programme, “Sticks for the World” contributes to source equipment to hockey development projects all around the world. On Olympic Day itself (23 June), the captains of the teams of all FIH Pro League matches of that day – Belgium-Argentina (Men and Women), Great Britain–New Zealand (Men and Women) and Netherlands–Australia (Women) – read the following message just before the start of each match: “Today is Olympic Day, an initiative from the International Olympic Committee for the world to get active, learn about the Olympic values and discover new sports. The International Hockey Federation, whose global Hockey4LIFE programme encourages people of all ages to START, PLAY and STAY in hockey, supports this initiative. So does the global hockey community by organising multiple projects all over the world. We, as athletes, encourage you, your families and friends, to do sports.” In Paris, in view of the 2024 Olympic Games, the French Hockey Federation was part of the Olympic Day event staged on Place de la Concorde with an artificial turf pitch of 10m x 20m and a visual placed near the pitch explaining the rules of the game. During the day, several hockey exercises were proposed to the public and a demonstration match of 3vs3 took place. #OlympicDay