African Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: Ghana and Kenya grab wins on opening day

    #AfricanHockeyRoadToTokyo Ghana’s female hockey team started well at the 2019 African Olympic qualifiers held in Stellenbosch, South Africa with a 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe. The West Africans who are the second best ranked team on the continent dictated and dominated the game from the onset till the final whistle. Two goals inside the first quarter from Vivian Narkuoh and a brilliant effort later in the game courtesy Roberta Sarfo was enough to give the Ghanaians a well deserved victory. Makhoka Grace was the sole scorer in the women’s second game as Kenya beat Namibia 1-0 to move into second place on the standings. Ghana 3-1 Zimbabwe Ghana (World Ranking: 32) got the tournament underway with a clash against Zimbabwe. The Ghanaians who came with the sole aim of dethroning South Africa and qualifying to the Olympics next summer got on to a good start. Ten minutes into the game and the West Africans were two goals up. Vivian Narkuoh broke the deadline in the 10th minute and added a second three minutes later. Ghana 2-0 up at the end of the first quarter. Zimbabwe halved the deficit in the second quarter courtesy Mcdonald Sophie in the 21st minute. The two-goal lead was restored seven minutes into the third quarter. Roberta Sarfo with a great run down the left beating two defenders made it 3-1. The final quarter witnessed no goal as the game ended 3-1 in Ghana’s favor. Namibia 0-1 Kenya The women’s second game was a duel between Namibia and Kenya. Currently the third placed team on the continent, Kenya who won silver in the last edition knew they had to win to stand a chance of rubbing shoulders with South Africa and Ghana. Two quarters elapsed and the scoreline hadn’t changed. The Namibian’s were the better side in the game and almost got an opener but their effort from the penalty corner going wide. The Southern Africa nation mounted more pressure on their Kenyan counterparts in the third quarter. It was Kenya who broke the deadlock surprisingly in the 44th minute. With just a minute to end the third quarter, Makhoka Grace deflected a long pass into the scoring circle past Stoffberg Petro in post for Namibia. Fifteen more minutes to be played but Makhoka’s goal was all the game could produce as the final whistle went – 1-0 in favor of Kenya. The tournament continues on Tuesday 13th August, 2019 with Ghana facing Kenya in the first game. Host South Africa will let their first ever game at the tournament as they play Zimbabwe in the second game of the women’s category. Source: isports360.com

    SA Hockey Men get started on the African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020

      The opening day of the African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020 got underway at University of Stellenbosch today with six African Hockey nations competing for the continents ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games. The South African Hockey Men got the tournament off to a good start with a 3-1 win over Namibia. The match was also the 150th cap for long-time goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse and he was presented with a pennant to mark the achievement.   After a goalless first half the South Africans broke the deadlock through the mercurial Dayaan Cassiem. The Western Province local forced an error in defence by the Namibians before he surged into the D and finished expertly past the impressive DJ Strauss in goals for the Namibians. Into the final quarter South Africa made the game safe as Austin Smith, another local in the South African team, earned himself a brace through penalty corners. The first was a low drag flick just over the backboard before the second was a rocket into the top right corner. There was time for a late consolation goal for Namibia that their performance deserved. Percy Barthram got onto the end of a penalty corner variation to finish the game 3-1. Egypt had earlier laid down a marker with a 6-0 win over Zimbabwe. The star of the show was hat-trick king Ahmed Elganaini, while there was a brace from Amr Sayed and Amr Ibrahim completed the scoring to get the Northern Africans off to a fantastic start. Ghana twice came from behind to deny Kenya and steal a big opening day win. The highlight being a last-minute winner that sent the Ghanaian fans into raptures. Constant Wakhura had opened the scoring for the Kenyans before Benjamin Kwofie levelled for Ghana. Festus Onganyo would have sent the fans into raptures giving Kenya a late lead before Ghana produced an outstanding fightback through Elikem Akaba and then skipper Salya Nsalbini to win a superb encounter. The SuperGroup South African Hockey women had a bye on the opening day as the women’s tournament only has five nations competing and were able to get an early look at this opposition. In the opening game of the tournament it was the Ghanaian Women who landed the first strike. They were victorious 3-1 over Zimbabwe. Vivian Narkuor got herself a first quarter brace to give the West Africans an early 2-0 lead. Sophie McDonald gave the Zimbabweans a glimmer of hope with a 21st minute field goal before Roberta Sarfo made the game safe for Ghana. A spirited performance from Namibia was not enough in the second game against Kenya with Grace Makokha scoring the only goal of the game to give the East Africans a winning start against their Southern African opponents. African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020 Results – 12 August 2019 (W) Ghana 3-1 Zimbabwe (W) Namibia 0-1 Kenya (M) Egypt 6-0 Zimbabwe (M) Ghana 3-2 Kenya (M) South Africa 3-1 Namibia African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020 Fixtures – 13 August 2019 (W) – 11:00 – Ghana vs. Kenya (M) – 13:00 – Egypt vs. Kenya (M) – 15:00 – Namibia vs. Ghana (W) – 17:00 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe (M) – 19:00 – South Africa vs. Zimbabwe Pictures – Eunice Visagie Source: SA Hockey

      #AfricanHockeyRoadToTokyo2020: All eyes on Stellenbosch as Africa’s Road to Tokyo Ticket is decided

        The waiting is over. The African countries have converged on Stellenbosch to contest the African Hockey Road to Tokyo 2020 Event. The tournament prize is ultimately the champions of African Hockey, but more pertinently it gives the winner the rights to one of the 12 spots in the hockey tournament at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The fixtures, which were released a couple of months back, have had to be replaced as Nigeria and Uganda have withdrawn from the Men’s and Women’s competition. What it means for the tournaments is that the Women’s’ tournament will be contested between five nations, namely; Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and hosts South Africa. The men’s tournament will feature the same five sides with the addition of Egypt completing the six sides to fight for honour in the men’s tournament. The one change in the tournament with the revised fixtures is that there is no final and the tournament will be decided over a round robin stage. 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw with the tie separator being goal difference first. For Supergroup South Africa their opening game will be when they take on the Zimbabwean ladies at 17:00 on Tuesday, while for the South African Men their campaign will open against Namibia on Monday at 17:00. For those in the Western Cape, get down to watch all the games at the University of Stellenbosch, while those that are unable to travel will be able to stream the games on Shoott South Africa’s Facebook page. Source: SA Hockey

        #FIHProLeague: Preview: Australia and Belgium prepare to battle for men’s FIH Pro League crown

          On Sunday 30 June, the winner of the inaugural men’s FIH Pro League competition will be decided. 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 the event final following two thrilling semi-final matches at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium on Friday (28 June). In the semi-finals on Friday (29 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. Team information and quotes from the teams competing in both matches can be found below, with a complete list of fixtures for the competition available here. 3-4 Play-Off: Great Britain vs Netherlands – 1430 CEST (UTC/GMT+2) Previous FIH Pro League meetings 2 June 2019: Netherlands 1-3 Great Britain – HC Oranje Rood, Eindhoven (NED) 14 June 2019: Great Britain 2-2 Netherlands (3-4 after shoot-out) – Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London (ENG) Great Britain FIH World Ranking: 7 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 4th FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): 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) Player Perspective – Adam Dixon: “It’s been a long Pro League season, one that we have thoroughly enjoyed, and we want to go out on a high. Hopefully with good weather and a good crowd – this is a great place to come and play hockey – we’ll be looking to put on our best showing on Sunday.” 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 Netherlands FIH World Ranking: 3 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 3rd   FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): Pl: 14 Wins: 5 Draws: 5 SO-Bonus: 3 Losses: 4 GF: 37 GA: 32 GD: 5 Pts: 23 Notable honours: 2x Olympic gold medallists (1996, 2000), 3x FIH Men’s World Cup winners (1973, 1990, 1998), 8x FIH Champions Trophy winners (1981, 1982, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006), Hockey World League winners (2012- 14 Edition), 5x European champions (1983, 1987, 2007, 2015, 2017). Player Perspective – Seve van Ass: “This crowd and this stadium, it’s so wonderful and we really enjoy it here. It will be great to hear everyone cheering for us again once more.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/netherlands__4842 Website: www.knhb.nl Twitter: @oranjehockey Facebook: oranjehockey Instagram: oranjehockey Final: Australia vs Belgium – 1700 CEST (UTC/GMT+2)  Previous FIH Pro League meetings 3 February 2019: Australia 1-4 Belgium – State Netball & Hockey Centre, Melbourne (AUS) 23 June 2019: Belgium 0-2 Australia – Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp (BEL) Australia FIH World Ranking: 2 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 1st  FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): 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). Player Perspective – Jacob Anderson: “There is no preference [on who we face in the final]. Both teams are really good, being top four in the world, so we will do our homework so we will be ready to face them on Sunday. This is my first major tournament so it would be really good to come away with the win, but you never know what is going to happen.” 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 Belgium FIH World Ranking: 1 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 2nd FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): 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). Player Perspective – Thomas Briels: “They [Australia] are looking really sharp, in very good form. We played them two weeks ago at home where we lost 2-0. They have come here to Europe to win the tournament, but we are going to do our best to take the first ever FIH Pro League cup and bring it to Belgium.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/women/teams/australia__4869 Website: www.hockey.org.au Twitter: @hockeyroos Facebook: thehockeyroos Instagram: @hockeyaustraliaofficial Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Saturday 29 June 2019 – women’s competition 1430: 3-4 play-off – Germany vs Argentina 1700: Final – Netherlands vs Australia #FIHProLeague

          #FIHProLeague: The Netherlands crowned women’s FIH Pro League champions

            The Netherlands have been crowned winners of the inaugural FIH Pro League thanks to a shoot-out victory over Australia, triumphing in a thrilling final played in glorious sunshine at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam on Saturday 29 June 2019. A breathtaking contest saw the match finish with the scores locked together at 2-2, before the Netherlands emerged 4-3 winners in the one-on-ones to defeat an Australia team that pushed them every step of the way in front of a sell-out crowd. Australia silenced the home fans when Mariah Williams scored from a penalty corner in the 19th minute before Marijn Veen pulled the Dutch level four minutes later. Kelly Jonker’s fourth quarter strike put the hosts ahead in the fourth quarter, but a late penalty stroke was clinically dispatched by Kaitlin Nobbs to send the match into a shoot-out. With the score locked at 3-3 after four attempts each, a disallowed goal from Australia’s Brooke Peris allowed Lauren Stam to wrap up the victory as the Oranje added the FIH Pro League to their world and European titles. As well as the lifting the trophy, the Netherlands also saw one of their players collect an individual award, with Frederique Matla named as the Best Player of the FIH Pro League. Australia’s Rachael Lynch was named Deloitte Goalkeeper of the Grand Final, while Argentina’s Micaela Retegui took the Auping Best Goal of the FIH Pro League Grand Final thanks to her brilliant strike against Germany in the 3-4 play-off. New Zealand’s Olivia Merry was also confirmed as the overall top scorer in the FIH Pro League, with her sensational 15 goal tally proving too much for the chasing pack who were competing here at in Amsterdam. It was also an extra special day for Lidewij Welten, who was a trophy winner on 200th international appearance. Following the completion of the women’s FIH Pro League, the FIH World Rankings have been updated. The next rankings update will take place on 8 September 2019, following the completion of the Continental Championships. In the title match, Australia (FIH World Ranking: 3) were forced to soak up huge amounts of pressure from the Netherlands (WR:1) in the opening quarter, with goalkeeper Rachael Lynch making numerous crucial blocks to keep the hosts at bay. Laurien Leurink came the closest with a backhand strike that Lynch could only parry, but the Australian shot-stopper produced a remarkable save by spinning around and brilliantly clearing the ball off the goal-line with an instinctive swing of her stick. The huge crowd watching on were being thoroughly entertained by the home favourites, but they fell silent four minutes into the second quarter when the Hockeyroos scored a perfectly executed penalty corner routine, with Mariah Williams brilliantly touching home a low flick from Jodie Kenny which left Dutch goalkeeper Josine Koning stranded. However, the home fans were cheering once again when Marijn Veen powered into the circle from the right and levelled the scores with a fierce strike, beating Lynch at her near post to restore parity. The Netherlands dominated the closing stages of the second quarter but both teams had massive chances in the third period, with Australia – the only team to have beaten the Netherlands in this year’s FIH Pro League – showing no fear against the world champions ahead of an extraordinary final quarter. Laurien Leurink appeared to put the hosts ahead just one minute after the break, only to see her goal ruled out by an Australian appeal to the video umpire. There was no doubt about Kelly Jonker’s goal three minutes later, with the striker guiding an angled deflection into the roof of the net after a perfect pass from Player of the Match Eva de Goede. Just when it seemed that a Netherlands victory was a certainty, a goal-bound penalty corner drag-flick from Jodie Kenny hit the foot of a Netherlands defender, with a penalty stroke being awarded. Kaitlin Nobbs made no mistake from the spot, firing home to send the match into a shoot-out. With only one miss apiece from the two teams from the first eight shoot-out efforts, the match was effectively at sudden-death going into the final round. Australia’s Brooke Peris found the target but a video referral deemed her shot illegal, with Lauren Stam showing the coolest of heads to give the Netherlands a dramatic and hard-earned victory. “It was amazing, it was a tough match with the shoot-outs but I’m so proud we got the win”, said Netherlands ace Xan de Waard. “It’s the first FIH Pro League ever, so I think that is amazing. We’ve had so much fun, so to end it like this is amazing.” Australia’s Jane Claxton said: “The Dutch are a force to be reckoned with, and we knew that coming into this game. But we’ve got a lot of fire in our bellies now and it’s really good to have that coming into an Olympic year, so I’m really proud of the girls.” Earlier in the day, Germany (WR:5) claimed a shoot-out victory over Argentina (WR:4) to claim a third place finish in the FIH Pro League after the match finished 1-1 in searing temperatures at the Wagener Stadium. Argentina took the lead thanks to a wonderful improvised shot from Micaela Retegui, who squeezed the ball through her own legs to find the bottom left corner of the goal moments after a mazy run from Victoria Granatto. Retegui’s terrific finish – later named best goal of the FIH Pro League Grand Final – was the only goal of the first two quarters, but Germany hit back early in the third period when Anne Schröder volleyed home from close range. Germany probably had the better of the quarter, but Argentina – who lost Micaela Rebecchi to a head injury – rallied hard in the latter stages but the two teams remained locked at 1-1 to trigger a shoot-out. The opening four efforts in the one-on-ones were missed before Germany took control, with Janne Müller-Wieland,

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