India crushed 7-1

The second day of competition at the BDO FIH Hockey World Cup in Rosario, Argentina saw victories for The Netherlands, Germany and Australia as the Pool A kicked into action.
India crushed by Paumen's Netherlands

India were on the receiving end of a 7-1 score-line as The Netherlands turned on the style to record a big win in their opening fixture of the BDO FIH Hockey WOrld Cup 2010. Penalty corner star Maartje PAUMEN scored a hat-trick in the match, with midfield maestro Naomi van AS playing a starring role in the triumph.

Match 4 - Netherlands v India 7-1

> The Netherlands beat India 7-1 today to record their biggest World Cup victory since beating Ireland 6-0 in 2002.
> For India today’s defeat by a 6-goal margin marks their biggest defeat in World Cup competition.
> The last time Netherlands scored at least 7 goals in a World Cup match was 29 years ago in 1981 when they beat Belgium 7-0 and Soviet Union 7-3.
> Their record for most goals in a World Cup match is eight in 1976 vs Mexico (8-0).
> The Netherlands saw four different players score in today’s match. The last time this happened in a World Cup match was in 2002 when they beat USA 5-2 through goals by Ellis Verbakel, Mijntje Donners, Ageeth Boomgaardt and Aniek van Hees (2).
> Marilyn Agliotti netted her first World Cup goal for The Netherlands. At the 2006 World Cup she scored once playing for South Africa.
> Netherlands’ Kim Lammers and Maartje Paumen (PC) also netted against India in the last World Cup in 2006.
> Paumen scored a hat-trick and is now joined top scorer at Rosario 2010 with Luciana Aymar (ARG).
> Paumen is the first Dutch player to score a World Cup hat-trick since Kim Lammers and Sylvia Karres scored three goals each in Holland’s 6-1 win over China in 2006.

Match 5 - Germany v New Zealand 2-0
> Germany secured their fourth successive win over New Zealand after beaten them at the 2006 CT (3-0), 2008 Olympics (2-1) and 2010 CT (5-2).
> Germany are the first team to keep a clean sheet at this World Cup and New Zealand are the first team that failed to score at Rosario 2010.
> 20-year-old Celine Wilde is the youngest goalscorer for Germany at a major tournament (OG, CT and WC) since he 2000 Olympics when Fanny Rinne scored also at the age of 20.
> Tina Bachmann’s only previous World Cup goal came in 2002 against Russia, also from a penalty corner.
> Germany scored one of 8 penalty corners awarded in this match. New Zealand were awarded 2 PC’s.

Match 6 - Australia v Japan 2-1
> Australia have extended their unbeaten streak against Japan to eight competitive encounters (6 wins – 2 draws).
> Kobie McGurk (AUS) netted her first goal in eight World Cup matches, by converting a penalty corner.
> Australia’s captain Madonna Blyth scored her second World Cup career goal. In 2006 she netted in the match against South Africa (1-0).
> Koari Chiba ended Japan’s streak of four top level matches against Australia without scoring.
> Chiba is now on five World Cup career goals, adding to the four goals she scored in 2006.

Gold will inspire Commonwealth and Asian Games challenge

By S.S Dhaliwal From Paris

MALAYSIA won it's first international tournament since 2005 when the defeated hosts France to emerge as champions of the Insep Hockey Challenge in Paris.
The national team defeated hosts France 4-2 to claim the title after Ireland had defeated Scotland 2-0 in an earlier match.
But rather then gloat over the win, coach Stephen van Huizen was being practical, keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
"It is good to finally win a title. This augurs well for the confidence of the players as we approach the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games." said Stephen.
"It was a far better performance against France as the players showed better commitment and urgency in this match."
"After that performace against Ireland, the players realised that they have to be more consistent and not take things easy. So in terms of commitment and mental strength, it was a good lesson for for the players and hopefully it remains in their minds."
Stephen said that the team will take a break upon return and he has in mind the players to be listed for the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
"Realistically I know the team as the core will be from the players who are here in Paris. I will have a look at the update on the status of those who were left behind in Kuala Lumpur," said Stephen.
"As it stands I am interested to know the fitness level of Kelvinder Singh as he is one player that can be in the squad to New Delhi."
"However the composition of the team could change as I have read about reports wanting the best players to be in Delhi. It has its pros and cons so I will brief the MHF and come to a decision soon."
Not wanting to single out any player for outstanding performance in Paris, Stephen however did say that keeper S. Kumar and Mohd Razie are the mainstays of the team as they were consistent in all the matches.
"The duo are playing really well and I do hope that they carry the form into both the Games and the other players also improve their performances," said Stephen.

Luciana hat-trick inspires Argentina

Day 1 of the BDO FIH Hockey World Cup saw victories for Korea, England and host nation Argentina, with vast numbers of supporters turning up to watch the action. PARK Mi Hyun scored the winning goal for Korea as they defeated China in the opening match, while Susie Gilbert scored the crucial goal to give England the victory. In the final game of the day, Luciana Aymar showed exactly why she is considered to be one of the finest players of all time with a stunning display, netting a hat-trick as her team romped to a 5-2 victory over South Africa.
Match Review 1 - China v Korea 1-2

> Korea remain unbeaten in 7 FIH matches in 2010. They have now recorded 6 wins and 1 draw in World Cup qualifying and World Cup this year.
> Korea handed China their fifth successive defeat in major international tournaments, after having suffered four defeats in row at the 2010 Champions Trophy.
> China’s Zhao Yudiao opened the score. She has now scored in all three major tournaments Olympics, Champions Trophy and World Cup.
> China have now lost the last four matches in which they went 1-0 up (3 CT matches and 1 WC match).
> Park Mi-Hyun (KOR) scored the winning goal for Korea. She also netted against China in the Final 9-10 at the 2006 World Cup, which Korea also won 2-1.

Match Review 2 - Spain v England 2-3
> England start their 2010 World Cup campaign with a win, like they did at each of the previous three World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006).
> England led 3-2 at half-time. The last time England scored three goals in the first half at a World Cup tournament was 16 years ago, at the 1994 World Cup, when they led Canada 3-0 at half-time.
> Gloria Comerma (ESP) scored the first penalty corner goal at the 2010 World Cup in the third minute of the match.
> Comerma also scored a third minute PC goal in last year’s Champions Challenge match against Italy.
> Alex Danson scored the equaliser for England; she has now scored 1 goal in each of the last three World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010).
> Crista Cullen scored her 7th career goal in major FIH tournaments all from penalty corners. She has now scored at the 2006 World Cup, 2008 Olympics, 2010 Champions trophy and 2010 World Cup.

Match Review 3 - Argentina v South Africa 5-2
> Las Leonas started their 2010 World Cup campaign with a win over South Africa. This victory marked their first win over SA in World Cup, Champions Trophy and Olympic competition.
> Luciana Aymar scored a hat-trick today to become the first player since Maria de la Paz Hernández in the 2006 Bronze medal match to score three goals in a World Cup match.
> Argentina go top in Pool B after day 1, leading England and Korea on goal difference.
> Seven goals were scored in this match. At the 2006 World Cup only two matches saw 7 goals being scored: CHN-NED 1-6 and KOR-AUS 3-4.
> Noel Barrionuevo scored her 13th goal in all FIH tournaments since the 2008 Olympics.
> Barrionuevo is the first ARG player to score against South Africa since Rosario Luchetti at the 2006 World Cup (2-2).
> Pietie Coetzee scored her 17th goal in 17 World Cup matches. She is the competition top scorer among players present at the 2010 World Cup.

Finally, a gold medal in hand

Results: Ireland 2 (Eugene Magee Peter Caruth) Scotland 0; Malaysia 4 (Hanafi Hafifihafiz 2, Izwan Firdaus, Mahammad Razie) France 2 (Fabian Magner, Martin Genestet)
Final Standings: 1. Malaysia 9pts (+3) 3. Ireland 8pts (+5) 3. Scotland 6pts (-3) 4. France 4pts (-1) 5. Poland 1pt (-4)

By www.hookhockey.com

IRELAND kept up their half of the bargain in their bid to claim the inaugural INSEP Five Nations title but ultimately had to settle for second place as Malaysia’s 4-2 win over hosts France sealed the title in their favour.
It was the boys in green’s most impressive performance of the week, stretching Ireland’s unbeaten run against the Scots to 15 games – dating back to November 2006.
Eugene Magee fired them into a 22nd minute lead with a reverse-stick shot into the bottom left corner. Timmy Cockram had a chance to double the advantage soon after when Ronan Gormley’s overhead found Chris Cargo on the left wing who fed Cockram but his shot was smothered away.
Scotland picked up a pair of green card sin-binnings before the break and were stung deeper still early in the second half. Gormley again started the move, playing the ball inside to Joe Brennan who slapped a vicious ball into the circle for Peter Caruth to deflect home for the day’s second goal.
The Scots best opportunity came from a 56th penalty corner but it was snuffed out and the greens ended the game primarily on the attack and Iain Walker, in his maiden tournament appearance, completing a shut out.
Speaking after the game, Irish assistant coach Arul Anthoni said: “We are very pleased with the fact that the team got stronger each game and kept improving collectively” with the side working on the development of a new man-to-man defensive system.
Wednesday and Thursday’s draws were ultimately the sticking point as Ireland had chances against both Poland and France to grab the win. It left them to subsequently made to wait on text messages and phone call updates of the final score from the tournament’s final game as they made their way to the airport for early return flights to Dublin.
France were well in that crucial tie, level at 1-1 with 46 minutes gone via Fabian Magner penalty stroke. But Malaysia swept into a 4-1 lead with Hanafi Hafifihafiz scoring a brace to take the title before a late consolation goal closed out the Parisian tournament.
Ireland: Iain Walker, John Jackson, Geoff McCabe, Ronan Gormley (capt), Joe Brennan, Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Mitch Darling, Timmy Cockram, David Ames, Conor Harte Subs: Chris Cargo, Alan Giles, Peter Caruth, Alan Sothern, Phelie Maguire
Scotland: James Cachia, Mark Ralph, Chris Nelson, Kenny Bain, William Marshall, Iain Scholefield, Niall Stott, Gareth Hall, Ross Stott, Cameron Fraser, Gordon McIntyre
Subs: Stephen Dick, Derek Salmond, Alan Forsyth, Vishal Marwaha, Gavin Byers.

Malaysia might end fourth

By S.S. Dhaliwal From Paris

MALAYSIA went down 1-4 to Ireland in their third match in the Five Nation Insep Hockey Challenge in Paris and may have let go an opportunity to win their first ever international tournament since 2005.

Although Malaysia have six points from two wins and a loss, they are in second spot, behind Scotland who also have six points as the Scots have scored eight goals as opposed to Malaysia's seven goals. Ireland moved up to third spot with five points as a result of two draws and the win over Malaysia while hosts France have four points following their 6-4 win over Poland today that condemned the Poles into last place for the tournament.

Malaysia will know just what they have to do against France tomorrow (Sunday) as Ireland will play against Scotland in an earlier match. If the Scots win, then Malaysia will need to better the number of goals Scotland scores in that match while an Ireland win means Malaysia has to win over France to emerge champions.

A defeat for Malaysia, with an Ireland win would mean Malaysia could end up in fourth spot, thus belittling their world ranking as they are the top ranked team in the tournament.

Coach Stephen van Huizen was peeved at the performance of the players, but lest be accused of coming up with excuses, Stephen did defend his team.

"We played badly and deserve to lose but at the same time we have to realise that the players must be tired after playing 12 matches during this tour," said Stephen.

"There was no urgency in their play and they seem to have lost their zest, hence the poor result in the match today. Still that is no excuse to lose to Ireland as it makes things more complicated and has opened up the tournament for the other teams.

"We could have put Ireland out of the equation and sit pretty on the top of the standings. But as it stands we can even end up second last.

"There is everything to play for against France, whom I must say have improved since the tournament startted."

Malaysia opted to play Roslan Jamaluddin in goal instead of S. Kumar as part of their rotation policy to provide players with more playing time.

Ireland opened scoring in the 12th minute via Eugene Magee who converted a penalty corner. But Malaysia drew evel in the 46th minute when Hafifihafiz Hanafi scored. Ireland hit back two minutes later through Mitch Darling and relied on counter attacks to catch Malaysia off guard to score another two goals.

Mitch scored the third in the 55th minute and Eugene made sure of the three points, scoring Ireland's fourth in the 65th minute.

"We have a chance to atone for the poor performance and the players realised that they cannot expect results if they play like that," said Stephen.

Such is the situation of the players due to the fasting month that the two players seected for random doping, Mohd Shukir Mutalib and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin had failed to produce a sample even after the end of the France v Poland match, some two hours after the end of the Malaysian match.

Magee strikes nail Malaysia

By www.hookhockey.com

INSEP Five Nations: Ireland 4 (Eugene Magee 2, Phelie Maguire, Mitch Darling) Malaysia 1 (Hanafi Hafifihafiz)
Ireland kept the possibility of winning the INSEP Five Nations alive as they notched an impressive win over Malaysia in spite of giving up eight corners in Paris this afternoon, recording their best ever win over the Asian nation in their 12th meeting.
It leaves Paul Revington’s side with an outside chance of taking the inaugural title should they beat Scotland and Malaysia fail to beat France in Sunday’s tournament closer.
Peter Caruth – originally a non-travelling reserve – came in for Paul Gleghorne in the first change to the match day 16 this week.
Eugene Magee gave Ireland the early initiative in the 12th minute, taking on the drag-flicking responsibilities for the only goal of the first half. They had a couple of corner opportunities late in the half, too, as Mahammad Razie was sin-binned in the 28th minute but neither were taken to leave the gap at the minimum.
And, with Ronan Gormley yellow-carded for ten minutes, Malaysia started to create more openings in the second half, breaking their duck in the 45th minute when Hanafi Hafifihafiz levelled from open play.
But Phelie Maguire – with his third goal in two days – restored the advantage within two minutes and they created a more comfortable edge soon after.
Initially, Ireland were disappointed when a corner was down-graded to a bully. But Mitch Darling won the face-off and played the ball out to Timmy Cockram on the right wing who switched the ball into the middle for Darling to deflect home his 18th international goal and 3-1.
Malaysia came close to pulling one back soon after when number one runner Andy McConnell was carded for breaking the line. John Jackson kept the follow-up corner out with an excellent reaction save on the line.
The tie was sealed with six minutes to go by Magee whipped home his second corner, this time low to Roslan Jamaluddin’s glove side.
Speaking after the game, coach Paul Revington was pleased his side was able to finish off the tie after two draws: “We took our chances today which we have not done in previous games which is pleasing, but there is still plenty to improve on and rectify.” Ireland play Scotland tomorrow at 12.30 (Irish time) in their final test.
Ireland: David Harte, John Jackson, Geoff McCabe, Ronan Gormley (capt), Joe Brennan, Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Timmy Cockram, Phelie Maguire, David Ames, Conor Harte
Subs: Chris Cargo, Alan Giles, Peter Caruth, Alan Sothern, Mitch Darling
Malaysia: Roslan Jamaluddin, Muhamad Amin, Muhammad Marhan, Madzli Ikmar (capt), Shahrun Nabil, Mohamad Sukri, Mirson Azlan, Mahammad Razie, Hanafi Hafifihafiz, Baljit Singh, Ahmad Tajudin
Subs: Tajol Rosli, Izwan Firdaus, Saari Faizal, Mohan Jivan, Nabil Fiqri
Results: Ireland 4 (Eugene Magee 2, Phelie Maguire, Mitch Darling) Malaysia 1 (Hanafi Hafifihafiz); France 6 (Olivier Sanchez 2, Fabian Magner 2, Martin Genestet, Jean-Baptiste Pauchet) Poland 4 (Tomasz Dutkiewicz 2, Artur Mikula, Waldemar Rataj)
Standings: 1. Malaysia 6pts (+1) 2. Scotland 6pts (-1) 3. Ireland 5pts (+3) 4. France 4pts (+1) 5. Poland 1pt (-4)
Match Schedule (Irish Time):
Sunday (1.30pm): Ireland vs Scotland; (3pm) France vs Malaysia.

Kelab Aman launch mini pitch for hockey

KELAB Aman launched a dual-purpose outdoor futsal and hockey court on Saturday to promote a healthy lifestyle among their members.
The Club, which was has been in existence for more than half a century and has an excellent cricket and soccer pitch, now offers an alternative to youth.
“We built the dual-purpose synthetic pitch because we have many members who actively play the sport at other venues.
“Now they can play and train at their home ground, and this facility might even unearth the next Punjabi to play in the national football team after Santokh Singh and Serbegeth Singh,” said Kelab Aman president Jasbere Singh.
Former Kelab Aman president and Malaysian Hockey Federation vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema was also at the launch and said: “If all clubs in Malaysia build a mini synthetic pitch, which are actually cheap, and utilises less land area, then the MHF dream of being able to match the best in the world would soon be realised.”
Malaysian footballer Titus James, who plays in the French Division Three, was also at the Club for the launch as he is on a one-month break.
The court is open from 7am to midnight, and the opening promotion price is RM80 per-hour, and RM130 per-hour with flood-lights.
For more information, visit www.kelabaman.com or call 03-21486710.

Scots malaise

Scotland were knocked off top spot in the INSEP Hockey Challenge tournament when they went down 3-1 to Malaysia in Paris on the day that Niall Stott won his 100th Scottish cap.
Russell Garcia`s charges had it all to do when they went two down to the talented Asians in the opening seven minutes. The Scots came more into the contest but two Mark Ralph penalty corners and an open play shot from Alan Forsyth brought the best out of the Malaysian keeper.
Scotland should have clawed their way back into the contest following a deliberate foul on Stephen Dick, but Mark Ralph`s effort from the spot cannoned off the bar.
After the interval the Malaysians notched their third when a penalty corner was half cleared and the second phase shot flew past Scottish keeper Jamie Cachia.
The Scots finally found the net in the closing minutes, Kenny Bain was the subject of two crude tackles and Mark Ralph made some amends for his earlier miss by slotting a drag flick into the bottom right corner of the net from the resulting penalty corner. This proved little more than a consolation, and Cachia was called upon to make a crucial save at the death to keep the Malaysians from going further ahead.
“This was not our best performance, we didn`t reached the same heights today as our first game against France, and missing a penalty at a crucial moment in the game didn`t help either,” said Eugene Connolly, Scotland`s manager.
Today the Scots take on Poland who have only a single point from two games.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Catch the latest with Dhaliwal

For Five-Nation update later 2nite, go to www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com/

Irish remain unbeaten

By www.hookhockey.com

INSEP Senior Men’s Five Nations: Ireland 3 (Phelie Maguire 2, Ronan Gormley) France 3 (Fabian Magner 3)
Phelie Maguire (pictured) struck his first international goals since February 2008 to help Ireland maintain their unbeaten start to the INSEP Five Nations in Paris this evening, in spite of Fabian Magner’s hat-trick.

But a 3-3 draw against tournament hosts, France, means they need to at least win over 100pc Malaysia in their next tie on Saturday to maintain hopes of winning the title.

In a much livelier affair than yesterday’s blank against Poland, Ireland hit the front very early when skipper Ronan Gormley scored from a corner move, touching in at the post in the fourth minute.

Paul Gleghorne, however, was sin-binned for a ten-minute spell and it was during this spell, Magner turned the game. The first of his three set-piece goals came with the numerical advantage, levelling in the 19th minute from a corner.

And a minute after Gleghorne’s reinstatement he gave his side the half-time impetus from the penalty stroke spot.

Ireland also made use of a numerical advantage when – with the returning Arnaud Becuwe in the bin – Maguire, in his own stylish manner, brought the side level for a second time 11 minutes into the second period when he turned his man on the left of the circle before firing past Matthias Dierckens for 2-2.

Magner whipped home his second corner of the day seven minutes later for Scott Goodheart’s side but their second yellow – Lucas Sevestre this time – coincided with Maguire’s second. This time, he first-timed a bouncing ball to make it 3-3 and set up a lively closing 11 minutes.

France spent the majority of that time when Mathieu Catonnet and subsequently captain Francois Scheefer were shown the French side’s third and fourth yellow cards.

But Ireland were unable to capitalise again and assistant coach Arul Anthoni was left to rue a half-dozen corners which went unconverted.

“We are disappointed in not getting the full points due to the number of chances we created and corners we had. Hopefully we can rectify this for tomorrow focusing on our final touches.” His side next play Malaysia on Saturday at 2.30pm (Irish time) when Alan Sothern could become the fourth player in a week to earn his 50th cap for Ireland following John Jackson, Mitch Darling and Conor Harte who reached the milestone today.

Malaysia, meanwhile, continued their winning start to the competition by beating Scotland 3-1 with goals from Ahmad Tajudin, Hanfi Hafifihafiz and Mahammad Razie – three of the star men in last week’s series in Dublin – and they lead the tournament by three points.

Ireland: David Harte, John Jackson, Ronan Gormley (capt), Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Mitch Darling, Timmy Cockram, David Ames, Paul Gleghorne, Conor Harte
Subs: Chris Cargo, Alan Giles, Joe Brennan, Phelie Maguire, Alan Sothern

France: Matthias Dierckens, Tom Genestet, Olivier Sanchez, Arnaud Becuwe, Joost Jansen, Fabien Magner, Bastien Dierckens, Yannick Schambert, Francois Scheefer (capt), Martin Genestet, Valentin Migneau
Subs: Matthieu Catonnet, Lois Sevestre, Guillaume Samson, Lucas Sevestre, Jean-Baptiste Pauchet

Results: Ireland 3 (Phelie Maguire 2, Ronan Gormley) France 3 (Fabian Magner 3); Malaysia 3 (Ahmad Tajudin, Hanfi Hafifihafiz, Mahammad Razie) Scotland 1 (Mark Ralph)

Standings: 1. Malaysia 6pts (+4) 2. Scotland 3pts (-2) 3. Ireland 2pts (0) 4. Poland 1pt (-1) 5. France 1pt (-1)

Match Schedule (Irish Time):
Friday (3pm): Poland vs Scotland
Saturday (2.30pm): Ireland vs Malaysia; (5pm) France vs Poland
Sunday (1.30pm): Ireland vs Scotland; (3pm) France vs Malaysia

Malaysia in unfamiliar territory

STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
MALAYSIA 2 2 0 0 6 3 6
SCOTLAND 2 1 0 1 6 7 3
IRELAND 2 0 2 0 3 3 2
POLAND 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
FRANCE 2 0 1 1 7 8 1


THE Malaysian hockey team ventured into unfamiliar territory when they beat Scotland 3-1 to lead the Five Nation standings in France.
Malaysia, who edged Poland 3-2 earlier, have maximum points after two matches, and if they beat Ireland and France in the remaining matches, they will finally lay their hands on a gold medal after at least a decade.
But just like the match against Poland where they almost lost it in the second half, the match against Scotland was also a two half encounter.
Coach Stephen van Huizen made two changes from the first match by fielding goalkeeper S. Kumar and defender Baljit Singh (file pic), and both the players made sure the Scots were kept at bay.
Scotland are in the same group as Malaysia in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games. The other teams are Australia, India and Pakistan.
Malaysia raced to a early 2-0 lead within the first ten minutes with Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin scoring off a seventh minute penalty corner set-piece, while Hafifihafiz Hanafi scored in the 10th minute.
Razie Rahim converted a penalty corner in the 49th minute and Malaysia were comfortable 3-0 lead, but Scotland reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute off a Mark Ralph penalty corner.
“It was a better performance as the players kept their composure and frustrated Scotland. But more importantly the players were able to preserve the lead and build on it,” van Huizen.
However, van Huizen lamented on the lack of depth on the bench, which prevented him from making regular changes: “We do not have depth in the squad, so some players had to remain on the pitch longer than others.
“For instance Razie is one player that is consistent and intelligent when it comes to pacing himself in a given match. He is a vital clog in defence so I opted to keep him on the pitch for a longer duration than others.”

China dolls set to dazzle Rosario party

(BY FIH) This Sunday sees the start of one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the 2010 hockey calendar, as the Argentine city of Rosario plays host to the BDO FIH World Cup for women. Huge crowds are expected to fill the stadium as the home fans hope to cheer “Las Leonas” to victory, but Argentina face stiff opposition from the world’s finest international hockey teams who are all vying for their right to lift the one of the most sought after trophies in the sport.

Over the next two weeks, twelve teams will compete for the title, each of which has earned the right to compete in this competition based on their performances over the last two years. The tournament will be split into two pools of six, with Pool A featuring Australia, Germany, India, Japan, The Netherlands and New Zealand, while Argentina, China, England, Korea, Spain and South Africa will do battle in Pool B before the Semi Final and Classification matches begin midway through the second week.

Olympic Champions The NETHERLANDS are the world’s number one ranked team and will be many people’s favourite to defend the title that they successfully won in Madrid four years ago. However, a second place finish behind Argentina at the recent Samsung Champions Trophy in Nottingham could suggest that Las Leonas currently have the upper hand on the illustrious Dutch women. Despite this, The Netherlands – lead by the experienced Janneke Schopman – should certainly not be written off. Their incredibly strong squad contains many current superstars of the world game, including penalty corner queen Maartje Paumen and midfielder Naomi van As, who currently holds the WorldHockey Player of the Year title with Argentine legend Luciana Aymar.

Host nation ARGENTINA (World Ranking: 2) are a team presently brimming with confidence. Their recent triumph in the Champions Trophy – their third CT title in succession – was achieved despite only picking up one point from their first two matches. Like the Netherlands, Argentina are a team blessed with outstanding individual talent, with the likes of Carla Rebecchi, Marine Russo and Claudia Burkart all complementing the brilliant midfield play of Luciana Aymar. The penalty corner skills of defender Noel Barrionuevo ensures that there is plenty of firepower in an Argentina team that is desperate to win the World Cup on home soil.

Olympic Silver medallists CHINA are currently third in the World Rankings, but were well below their best at the Champions Trophy in Nottingham where they could only manage a sixth place finish. Despite this poor showing, coach Kim Sang Ryul will have restored the belief that they are more than capable of being amongst the medals in Rosario. Team captain Fu Baorong is one of the most feared strikers in world hockey, whilst defender Ma Yibo is capable of winning matches with her ferocious penalty corner drag flicks.

GERMANY (World Ranking: 4) are currently a very unpredictable side. They could only manage a fourth place finish in the recent Champions Trophy where they were beaten to the Bronze medal by host nation England, but since then the team has welcomed back inspirational midfielder Fanny Rinne following injury. Team captain Tina Bachmann has a habit of scoring important goals for her side, as does evergreen striker Natascha Keller, 33, who has now represented her nation over 360 times.

The mighty Hockeyroos of Australia may be as low as 5^th in the current World Rankings, but Frank Murray’s side are certainly capable of staking a real claim for the title. However, it has been 12 years since their last win, which arrived in 1998 inspired by the brilliance of Alyson Annan and Katrina Powell. Powell is now part of Murray’s coaching staff at this World Cup, and will be on hand to offer her vast knowledge the current generation. Madonna Blyth, Kim Walker and Nicole Arrold are the most experienced players in a squad that showed signs of great improvement in a recent 3-2 defeat against Argentina.

ENGLAND (World Ranking: 6) are one of the fastest improving teams in the world at present, with Danny Kerry’s young squad growing in confidence every time they step foot on a hockey field. Their performances at the Samsung Champions Trophy in Nottingham were outstanding, achieving their best ever finish by defeating Germany in the Bronze medal play-off match. Although the side has experienced players in Helen Richardson, captain Kate Walsh and outstanding goalkeeper Beth Storry, it is the new generation that are beginning to grab the headlines. Charlotte Craddock and Ashleigh Ball are just two of many exciting young players to break into the England squad in recent years. Undoubtedly though, the real star is defensive powerhouse Crista Cullen, whose extraordinary levels of fitness and commitment give England a steely edge that could see them as serious challengers for a medal.

With no less than seven players under the age of 21, New Zealand (World Ranking: 7) is another team packed with exciting young talent that is developing at a terrific rate. The side won over a host of new fans at the Champions Trophy in Nottingham thanks to the fluid, attacking style of hockey introduced by coach Mark Hager, a two time former Olympian with Australia. A fifth place finish in the tournament was a fine achievement for the Black Sticks, who will be hoping to do even better in Rosario. Defender Clarissa Eshuis is extremely dangerous from penalty corner situations, while Emily Naylor runs the show from midfield.

SPAIN (World Ranking: 8) features a good mix of experience and youth. Long time servants Silvia Munoz and Nuria Camon have amassed nearly 400 caps between them, but they are joined in the squad by three players with a combined total of less than 15 – Berta Bonastre, Carlota Petchame and Empar Gil. Coach Pablo Usoz will be hoping that his team will be able to improve on the fourth place finish that the team achieved at Madrid 2006 and get amongst the medals in Rosario.

JAPAN (World Ranking: 9) also achieved an extremely respectable finish at the 2006 World Cup in Madrid, ending the tournament in 5^th place. The team come to Rosario with three uncapped players in Yuri Nagai, Akai Mitsuhashi and Shiho Otsuka, as well as nine other players with less than thirty caps to their individual names. However, plenty of experience comes from 39-year-old Akemi Kato, who has made over 350 international appearances for her country, while the quality of Kaori Chiba and Miyumi Ono will ensure that Japan are capable of getting good results in this tournament.

KOREA (World Ranking: 11) are another team that certainly have age on their side, announcing a squad that does not contain one player over the age of 29. In terms of international experience, Park Seon Mi, Lee Seon Ok (C) and Park Mi Hyun are all players that have achieved over 100 caps. It has been 20 years since Korea claimed their one and only medal in a World Cup - a Bronze at Sydney in 1990. Can this group of players repeat that success in Rosario?

SOUTH AFRICA (World Ranking: 12) team for the World Cup welcomes back one of the true legends of the game, with Pietie Coetzee coming out of retirement for the tournament. Coetzee, now 31, was for a long time the superstar of South African hockey, and her return will provide a huge boost to the team captained by Marsha Marescia. The squad also features debutante Sulette Damons, who has been selected by coach Giles Bonnet at the tender age of 20.

INDIA may be the lowest ranked team in the tournament (13), but over the years they have proven that they can rise to the big occasion. As well as the experienced and talented Surindar Kaur (C), Saba Anjum and Subhadra Pradhan, India possess a number of exciting youngsters including 15-year-old Rani Rampal, who has already collected over 45 senior international caps in her fledgling career.

Pakistan a stroke victim

AUSTRALIA defeated Pakistan 2-1 in an intensive final in the First Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Belgium secured Bronze after beating Ghana 4-1. Host Singapore won the 5th place playoff 6-1 against Chile.
On Tuesday the Netherlands won Gold in the girls’ competition, Argentina received Silver and New Zealand Bronze.
The game winning goal was scored via a penalty stroke by Luke NOBLETT in the 67th minute.
0-1 10' Muhammad UMAIR (FG)
1-1 49’ Dylan WOTHERSPOON (FG)
2-1 67’ Luke NOBLETT (PS)

Stalemate in Ireland-Poland match

By www.hookhockey.com
INSEP Five Nations: Ireland 0 Poland 0

Ireland began their Five Nations campaign in Paris in low-key fashion as a sterile match was almost lit up by a late flurry of action but, in the final reckoning, neither the Irish nor Poland’s set plays functioned to see the scoreline end in a rare blank.

David Ames and Geoff McCabe held sway for long periods in the midfield battle, helping create several corner opportunities but Mariusz Chyla kept the threat that proved so successful against Malaysia at bay.

The Polish became a more aggressive force after the interval, creating a couple of decent circle penetrations without a final touch. They did, however, have the game’s clearest chance when Tomasz Dutkiewicz stepped up to take a penalty stroke, only to push onto David Harte’s post.

One last Irish corner chance went awry in the final minute but Chyla stood firm, leaving Ireland to play catch-up on Malaysia and Scotland who beat Poland (3-2) and France (5-4), respectively on Tuesday.

Speaking after the game, assistant coach Arul Anthoni said “Hopefully we will continue managing our defence play like we did today and in our last four matches against Malaysia .

“This particular defensive concept will take us forward as a team and we look forward to playing against France tomorrow evening.”

Mitch Darling, when introduced as a tenth minute sub, earned his 50th cap – the first of three potential players to reach that milestone at this tournament. Conor Harte is currently on 49 caps while Alan Sothern has one less.

With 15 outfield players in Paris for this tournament, it is likely they will both notch up their half-centuries. All three players made their senior debuts in 2006 as teenagers.

The tournament itself celebrates the inauguration of the brand new INSEP facility in Paris and a special ceremony will be held on Friday to mark the occasion and the tournament is expected to become a fixture in the French international calendar.

As Ireland’s next opponents, France yesterday saw the return of striker Arnaud Becuwe following a break over the summer though veteran Freddie Soyez and Nicolas Monnier remain on sabbatical.

Following an impressive U-21 European Cup at the end of July, Lois Sevestre, Matthieu Catonnet and Fabien Mazurier come into the team for their first FIH tournament and join a quartet of other U-21 players in the panel.

Ireland: David Harte, John Jackson, Geoff McCabe, Ronan Gormley (capt) Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Timmy Cockram, Phelie Maguire, David Ames, Paul Gleghorne, Conor Harte

Subs: Chris Cargo, Alan Giles, Joe Brennan, Mitch Darling, Alan Sothern

Poland: Mariusz Chyla, Miroslaw Juszczak, Szymon Hutek, Dariusz Rachwalski (capt), Szymon Oszyjczyk, Tomasz Dutkiewicz, Miroslaw Kluczynski, Mateusz Poltaszewski, Marcin Strykowski, Artur Mikula, Tomasz Marcinkowski
Subs: Tomasz Gorny, Bartosz Kubiak, Waldemar Rataj, Piotr Kozlowski, Patryk Petrykowski

Standings: 1. Scotland 3pts (+1) 2. Malaysia 3pts (+1) 3. Ireland 1pt (0) 4. Poland 1pt (-1) 5. France 0pts (-1)

Match Schedule (Irish Time):
Thursday (5pm): Ireland vs France; (2.30pm) Malaysia vs Scotland
Friday (3pm): Poland vs Scotland
Saturday (2.30pm): Ireland vs Malaysia; (5pm) France vs Poland
Sunday (1.30pm): Ireland vs Scotland; (3pm) France vs Malaysia

Malaysia 3 Poland 2

Off to a bad start in Paris Five-Nation, as Malaysia could only beat Poland 3-2. Scotland beat France 5-4.

Ireland take 16 who beat Malaysia

By www.hookhockey.com

Paul Revington will bring the 16 players which lined out against Malaysia in the fourth of their test matches last weekend to Paris for this week’s Five Nations’ event with Iain Walker travelling as the 17th man and Peter Caruth as a non-travelling reserve.

The side flew out today for the five day event which sees Ireland pit their wits against the hosts France, Poland and the Commonwealth-bound Scotland and Malaysia.

It’s part of a hectic week for a number of the Irish squad who have recently taken up new playing opportunities abroad which will begin at the conclusion of this tournament.

Captain Ronan Gormley (pictured) has returned to Club de Campo in Madrid where he enjoyed a successful season back in 2004 when on Erasmus in his university days.

He joins their EHL squad while domestically, Campo will be looking to convert runners-up places – both via golden goal defeats – in the national league and the Copa del Rey into silverware.

Conor and David Harte have joined Bilthoven-based SCHC to play in the Dutch hoofdklasse while Andy McConnell has returned to Amsterdam’s Hurley after a three year stint in Dublin. With Mitch Darling moving from KHC Leuven to Den Bosch, it brings the number of Dutch-based players in this Irish squad to four.

The Harte brothers are due for training on September 1, making it a quick dash from Paris back to Ireland and then on to Holland, following an intense two week session with the Irish panel.

Indeed, just five of the 17 are likely to play in Ireland in the 2010/11 season with David Ames on the move to Nottingham’s Beeston from Cookstown for their EHL campaign while Chris Cargo confirmed he will stay with Reading as he completes his studies in England.

Speaking about the tournament, meanwhile, Revington said: “France has done really well to put together an event for various countries that have not benefited from a World Cup or Champions Trophy in 2010. The Team will play four games in five days on the back of several tests against Malaysia – a period of competition that we are very pleased to be involved in.”

Ireland: David Harte (GK, SCHC, Netherlands), Iain Walker (GK, YMCA), David Ames (Beeston, England), Chris Cargo (Reading, England), Timmy Cockram (Lisnagarvey), Mitch Darling (Den Bosch, Netherlands), Alan Giles (Pembroke), Paul Gleghorne (Loughborough Uni, England), Ronan Gormley (capt, Club de Campo, Spain), Conor Harte (SCHC, Netherlands), John Jackson (Mossley), Eugene Magee (Dragons, Belgium), Phelie Maguire (KHC Leuven, Belgium) Geoff McCabe (Dragons, Belgium), Andy McConnell (Hurley, Netherlands), Alan Sothern (Pembroke)
Non-travelling reserve: Peter Caruth (Annadale)

Coach: Paul Revington
Assistant Coach/Manager: Arul Anthoni
Video/Strength and conditioning: Stephen Barry
Physiotherapist: David Richards

Match Schedule – Five Nations, Paris
August 25 (3pm): Ireland v Poland
August 26 (5pm): Ireland v France
August 28 (2.30pm): Ireland v Malaysia
August 29 (1.30pm): Ireland v Scotland

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Gain back lost respect

By Jugjet Singh
jugjet@nst.com.my

COMMENT

RESPECT is what the Malaysian hockey team needs to start earning, if they want to break into the top-10 bracket in the world.
It is the vital ingredient which is conspicuously missing since a decade ago, when we started losing to minnows in qualifiers and friendlies.
And the 4-4 draw with Italy, better known for soccer than hockey, in the Olympic Qualifier in Kakamigahara, Japan in 2008 was among the major reasons why European teams lost respect of our national side.
Compared with European sides, hockey players in Malaysia are a blessed lot, as they travel far and wide to gain experience before any major tournaments but still lose to teams who rely more on domestic tournaments for ex posure.
This year alone, the national players have competed in the Azlan Shah Cup, then went on China, Australia and Europe Tours to play friendlies, and also a Five-Nation.
But rather than improve and gain recognition, Malaysia lost to China and also to Australian club sides, which further dragged their sagging respect to further depths.
Their latest defeat was to an Irish side which in this year, only played in the Celtic Cup in June and then the recent friendlies against Malaysia.
That was all the exposure which the Irish had this year.
But still, the Irish lads held Malaysia to a 3-3 draw and only lost 4-2 and 3-2 before winning the final match 2-1. This is because they no longer respect Malaysia after beating them 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Champions Challenge II in Dublin last year.
The Italians, Irish, Poles, Scots, French and Belgium no longer fear Malaysia, and that is why we keep losing to them in Qualifiers and missing the boat to Olympics and World Cups.
Australia are the most feared team in the world right now, as they have earned their stripes with Olympic and World Cup gold medals.
Now, even when Netherlands, German and Spain play Australia, they show great respect by not adopting open play, which in turn is capitalised by the Aussies to mount full presses resulting in early goals.
Malaysia have a golden chance to regain some respect when they start their Five-Nation in France today.
They must not only beat, but score as many goals as possible against Poland, Ireland, Scotland and France in the Five-Nation if they hope to be respected when they play in the Commonwealth and then the all-important Asian Games.
If not, Australia, India and Pakistan will maul us in the Commonwealth Games, and in the Asian Games grouping, South Korea and China will slam the semi-finals door shut on van Huizen’s men.
In the end, we will end up struggling to even beat Oman and Singapore in the Asian Games, just like when we could only beat Hong Kong 2-1 in the Doha Games in 2006.
Respect cannot be learned, purchased or acquired - it can only be earned, and Malaysia must start their journey in France today.

Ireland nail 2-1 winner

www.hookhockey.com

Senior Men’s International: Ireland 2 (Timmy Cockram 2) Malaysia 1 (Muhammad Razie).

Timmy Cockram’s second half double crowned Ireland’s best half of hockey over the four ties with Malaysia at Belfield this week, netting the two corners the country earned.
Both came from switch left moves, the second of which came on the final hooter at the second attempt after the Malaysian number one runner blocked the Lisnagarvey striker’s initial effort.
It was a just reward for an improved, though still flawed, performance from Paul Revington’s men as they feel their way back into action after a six-week lay-off.
Indeed, Ireland managed to keep in contention in each tie with the speedy Malaysians – ranked five places higher in the world – who are amid preparations for the Commonwealth Games in spite of some rocky periods.
An error-strewn first half –in which John Jackson claimed his 50th cap – tonight was a case in point. The visitors thought they had scored in a similar manner to Saturday’s opener when Tajol Rosli’s baseline pull-back ballooned up off a stick and Baljit Singh batted in to the backboard.
It was over shoulder-height, though, and led to a penalty corner in place of a goal. No matter, Muhammad Razie whizzed a flick to the glove side of David Harte’s net.
But, while Ireland struggled to get going, they still picked off a few decent opportunities. Eugene Magee miscued when well-placed while Andy McConnell had a goal chalked off after a tidy right wing move.
It was not overly polished stuff but the hosts were getting into the right positions but the final details were going awry.
Gradually the chances became clearer as David Ames’ creativity and guile came to the fore. A Jackson cross was deflected brilliantly by Mitch Darling’s upright, openside touch which rattled the crossbar while Darling and Cockram forced a double-save from Ibrahim Kairuilnizam.
Ames and Geoff McCabe one-two finally won a first green penalty corner in the 60th minute, allowing Cockram to find the bottom-left corner with a low bullet.
And a fortuitous second corner – a Malaysian defender making a hames of controlling the ball – gave Ireland a golden chance on the final buzzer. Cockram’s drag was blocked but landed stock still and within reach and he managed to poke home the second round for the winner.
Paul Revington was pleased with the improvement shown since Saturday’s outing: “Tonight was better for us as we performed for 50 minutes but the first 10 to 15 minutes were still a bit tentative for which there is no reason. There were fewer gifts tonight and that meant more control in the game by the Irish, which resulted in more sustained pressure for which we were duly rewarded.”
Ireland now head to Paris on Tuesday to play in a Five Nations tournament, the squad for which will be announced early in the week.
Ireland: David Harte, John Jackson, Ronan Gormley (capt), Chris Cargo, Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Timmy Cockram, David Ames, Paul Gleghorne, Conor Harte, Phelie Maguire
Subs: Geoff McCabe, Joe Brennan, Mitch Darling, Alan Sothern, Alan Giles
Malaysia: Ibrahim Kairuilnizam, Muhammad Marhan, Muhammad Amin, Tajol Rosli, Harvinder Singh, Mohamed Sukri, Mohan Jivan, Muhammad Razie, Baljit Singh, Muhamad Azammi, Azreen Rizal
Subs: Ahmad Kazamirul, Saari Faizal, Ahmad Tajudin, Nabil Figri, Muhammad Fikri
Umpires: Graeme Caulwell, Kieran Bolger.

Malaysia edge Ireland 3-2

www.hookhockey.com

THE curse of the 3-2, last minute concession affected Ireland yet again as the Irish senior men were undone by Hanfi Hafifihafiz’ late corner deflection to take the spoils at Belfield in the third of four internationals at Belfield this week.
Such a scoreline twice undid the Ireland U-17 girls and this one was similarly frustrating as the boys in green bounced back from a 2-0 deficit only to give up a late corner.
Paul Revington made wholescale changes with John Jackson, Eugene Magee, Mitch Darling, Timmy Cockram and Conor Harte making their first appearances since the summer break with Andy McConnell, David Ames and Ronan Gormley coming back into the side.
And the coach admitted afterwards the changes led to a rusty performance, taking over 45 minutes to truly click into gear.
Speaking after the game, Revington said: “We are disappointed to lose in the final minute having worked hard to get back into the game. Also we are disappointed that two of the goals came from one v one situations that we lost and that needs to be rectified.
“I thought this group took 35 minutes to get back into international standard of the game tempo and showed in the second half that they equally matched the pace and tempo of Malaysians. Tomorrow we want to play at a high level and tempo for the duration of the game.”
Malaysia bossed the first period and took just four minutes to get on top. Ahmad Tajudin – a thorn in both prior matches – glided down the right touchline before Hanfi Hafifihafiz’ deflection from close range looped goalward and Baljit Singh made sure with a high tap in at the back post.
Cockram fizzed a reverse moments later which the returning Jamluddin Roslan getting a toe ahead to the ball, inches before the sliding Magee. But it was as good as Ireland created before the interval as they relied on three superb Joe Brennan interventions to break up attacks while Ronan Gormley cleared Tajudin’s slipped cross from the goalmouth.
Gleghorne blocked down two corner strikes in quick succession while Iain Walker continued his decent form between the posts.
Ireland played a deeper formation, perhaps attempting to deny the space afforded to Malaysia on Thursday night. The Asian side, as a result, held plenty of possession and stole in on a number of sketchy mistakes.
It became 2-0 in the 40th minute in stunning style – a steal on their own 25 metre line precipitated a five-second transfer with Saari Faizal using a semi-upright reverse to clip in off the inside of the post with only two passes needed to forge the opportunity.
Ireland’s attacks to this point were frustrated on the fringes of the circle, numerous crash balls blocked out by the first defender.
But they got a lifeline 18 minutes from time with a brilliant created move – Jason Lynch’s right-wing hit redirected into Timmy Cockram’s path by Andy McConnell.
It came up slightly awkwardly up from a defender’s stick but he kept his eye on the ball to volley on his reverse from about the flick spot past a scrambling Roslan. Walker denied a Faizal one-on-one chance and dived to tip Muhamad Amin’s drag-flick around the post.
And when Alan Sothern dragged home Ireland’s second corner with seven minutes to go to tie the game up, Ireland were on the verge of an unlikely result.
But Malaysia nicked a late corner and Amin’s drag to the right post neatly located the sliding Hafifihafiz for the winner. They play their fourth fixture of the week tomorrow at Belfield at 7pm.
Elsewhere, the men’s Irish Masters enjoyed an impressive opening day to their Home Nations Plus tournament in Hillsborough. The men’s over 50s drew 4-4 with Scotland before beating Wales 5-0 while the over 40s beat Wales 1-0.
Ireland: Iain Walker, Ronan Gormley (capt), John Jackson, Chris Cargo, Eugene Magee, Andy McConnell, Mitch Darling, Timmy Cockram, David Ames, Paul Gleghorne, Conor Harte
Subs: Alan Sothern, Joe Brennan, Phelie Maguire, Bruce McCandless, Jason Lynch
Malaysia: Jamluddin Roslan, Muhamad Amin, Muhammad Marhan, Madzli Ikmar, Saari Faizal, Mohamad Sukri, Misron Azlan, Muhammad Razie, Hanfi Hafifihafiz, Baljit Singh, Ahmad Tajudin
Subs: Tajol Rosli, Izwan Firdaus, Muhamad Azammi, Azreen Rizal
Umpires: Dan Clarke, Robert Johnston

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Injured Kelvinator still in the picture

PIC: Kelvinder (right).

WHILE the national hockey team is in Europe for friendlies and a Five-Nation, one of Malaysia’s best is training at home and fighting against time to recover from a knee operation.
Kelvinder Singh, voted as the best player in the 2005 Junior World Cup even though Malaysia finished 10th, suffered a knee injury after the Azlan Shah Cup in May and just returned to training two weeks ago.
He missed the China, Australia and now Europe Tours, and might even miss the Commonwealth Games boat, placing his selection for the Asian Games in doubt.
“Kelvinder went for an operation and recently returned to training and that is why we did not want to rush and field him for the Europe Tour.
“We know his capabilities, and when the team returns from Europe at the end of the month, there is still another month to decide on his selection into the Commonwealth Games squad,” said team manager George Koshy.
And even is he does not go to Delhi: “He has always been an asset to Malaysia, and even if his injury does not fully recover for the Commonwealth Games, we will still consider him for the Asian Games,” said George.
Kelvinder has always been among the fittest in the national side, and hits the 14 mark when tests are conducted.
“We have to select players who are fully fit for both the Games because only 16 are allowed to be registered, of which two spots are taken up by goalkeepers.
“That is why we don’t want to rush Kelvinder, and only field him when we are sure that his movements are back to normal.”
Malaysia played two matches against Ireland and drew the first 3-3, and won the second 4-2.
After playing two more matches against the Irish, the team will head for France to play a Five-Nation against the hosts, Poland, Ireland and Scotland in preparation for the Com monwealth Games in New Delhi from Oct 3-14.

Struggling against 'undercooked' Irish

MALAYSIA beat an undercooked Ireland 4-2 in their second ‘un-friendly’ in Belfield last night.
The first match ended 3-3, while in the second, Malaysia saw one red card and a yellow which diluted their strength.
Ireland coach Paul Revington fielded an inexperienced side for both the matches, with one Irish website commenting the first friendly as: “..an Ireland side made up of mainly possible rather than probable major tournament players.”
And the website described the second friendly as: “Malaysia withstood 37 minutes of suspensions to roast an undercooked Ireland.”
Nabil Fiqi was red carded in the 42nd minute for an off the ball incident, while Baljit Singh was flashed the green and then yellow to add unnecessary pressure in the friendly.
The Malaysian goals were scored by Faizal Saari, Izwan Firdaus, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Azlan Misron.
“We started off well when Faizal scored off a penalty corner attempt, but then let in the equaliser. However, a brilliant run from Faizal, who beat three defender, saw the ball reaching Izwan who tapped in the lead and we went on to score two more goals,” said Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen.
Ireland kept their cool but Malaysia almost blew their top because: “The match was a good lesson for our players to learn to play with two home umpires, with different in terpretations, and a lot of 50-50 balls going against them,” said van Huizen.
Malaysia will play two more friendlies against the Irish before heading to France to play a Five-Nation involving the hosts, Ireland, Scotland and Poland on Aug 24-29.

Malaysia see red in win

Men’s Senior international: Ireland 2 (Alan Giles, Alan Sothern ps) Malaysia 4 (Saari Faizal, Izwan Firdaus, Ahmad Tajudin, Misron Azlan)

by www.hookhockey.com

MALAYSIA withstood 37 minutes of suspensions to roast an undercooked Ireland at Belfield tonight in the second of four challenge matches, scoring twice after Nabil Figri was red carded in the 42nd minute.
He was given his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident, taking a cut at Gareth Watkins in the circle as the crowd’s attention was more keenly focussed on a long corner.
It was one of numerous talking points of a feisty affair which the visitors were delighted to take the win having visibly shown frustration with what they felt were home-town umpiring decisions.
But they played the endgame well, using the incredible speed of Hanfi Hafifihafiz, Misron Azlan and Ahmad Tajudin to devastating effect.
Paul Revington kept a reasonably inexperienced side with Ronan Gormley stepping out of defence with Paul Gleghorne moving in while Chris Cargo and Geoff McCabe in for Andy McConnell and David Ames.
And the hosts had their first shot in anger on just 24 seconds when Brian Doherty’s long overhead found Alan Giles in the circle to whistle a volley over the bar.
Baljit Singh picked up the first suspension of the night in the eighth minute – the first of four cards his side would see to Ireland’s none – but his side took the lead in the 19th minute after an exchange of corners yielded no joy.
It was earned from a typically fast left-wing run. The corner, itself, did not go quite to plan. Muhammad Razie’s spin did not lay the ball up for the intended drag-flicker but he kept possession to tee up Saari Faizal’s precision flick to the top corner.
With the lead, Malaysia reverted to a half-court press and it almost paid dividends when they picked off a loose Irish pass – following a minute of possession with little penetration – but Hafifihafiz scuffed his finish with the goal beckoning.
Ireland were back on terms from their second corner in the 26th minute, Alan Giles sharply controlling Brian Doherty’s corner rebound and batting in a volley.
But parity lasted just a couple of minutes as an Irish mistrap in the attacking 25 saw Faizal pick the ball up show a breathtaking clean pair of heals to burn off three chasers and Izwan Firdaus swept home a simple finish; 2-1 at half-time.
Their evening, though, looked to have turned sour when Nabil Figri was shown the straight red soon after the break. Joe Brennan thought he had levelled from a corner rebound but his effort was disallowed, deemed over shoulder height, after initially being awarded.
The resulting retaken corner was comfortably tipped around the post by the impressive Kalruilnizam. He saved twice more amid a goalmouth melee when Malaysia were down to nine men – Singh taking his second card of the evening.
Peter Caruth’s punch shot bounced Chris Cargo’s way and his swipe was brilliantly blocked back into play but an infringement was called en route and a penalty stroke ensued.
Alan Sothern netted to the left but was ordered to retake, this time switching to his right and garnering the same effect for 2-2 with 17 minutes to go.
The momentum looked likely to all be one way but Malaysia had a breath-taking sucker-punch in store.
Muhammad Razie’s perfectly weighted, 70-metre overhead, was retrieved by Hafifihafiz in the left corner. He picked out Misron Azlan on the circle’s edge who was joined on the flick spot by Ahmad Tajudin and they worked the overload simply for the go-ahead goal.
And they sealed the win in the 59th minute, again from play, when Azlan battered home from the top of the circle.
Ireland created a bit more bedlam in front of Kalruilnizam’s goal, let a fifth corner slip out of their hands while Malaysia endured another yellow card for dissent in the closing stages to end out a lively night in suitable chaotic fashion.
Ireland: Iain Walker, Paul Gleghorne, Brian Doherty, Michael Maguire, Adam Pritchard, Phelie Maguire, Alan Giles, Bruce McCandless, Alan Sothern, Chris Cargo
Subs: Gareth Watkins, Peter Caruth, Peter Blakeney, Jason Lynch, Joe Brennan
Malaysia: Ibrahim Kairuilnizam, Rahim Muhamad Amin, Muhammad Marhan, Madzli Ikmar, Mohamed Sukri, Misron Azlan, Muhamad Razie, Hanfi Hafifihafiz, Baljit Singh, Ahmad Tajudin, Nabil Figri
Subs: Ahmad Kazamirul, Izwan Firdaus, Saari Faizal, Mohan Jivan, Azreen Rizal
Umpires: Kris Cholewa, Kieran Bolger
Saturday, 7pm: Ireland vs Malaysia, Belfield
Sunday, 7pm: Ireland vs Malaysia, Belfield

Ireland 3 Malaysia 3

Ireland 3 (Alan Sothern 2, Bruce McCandless) Malaysia 3 (Ahmad Tajudin 2, Hanfi Hafifihafiz)

ALAN Sothern’s last minute goal earned an Ireland side made up of mainly possible rather than probable major tournament players a lively draw at Belfield in the first tie of their four-match series.
Played in front of a decent crowd, chances were few and far between, but the majority of those carved out were converted; Ireland, for example, made three of their four penalty corners count on the scoreboard.
Nonetheless, it was lively encounter from the off with Malaysia’s commitment to a fast and furious style providing a good night’s entertainment. Both sides displayed some flashes of inspiration with Alan Giles displaying some delightful touches while Joe Brennan’s audacious long-passes creating some excellent overload opportunities.
His first such effort – introduced on the quarter-hour from the bench – ripped 60-metres from right to left through the Malaysia defences, found its way to Ronan Gormley who neatly earned his side’s first corner.
With Brian Doherty and Alan Sothern in the dugout at the time, David Ames took the ensuing drag and while his effort was blocked it caused enough mayhem for Bruce McCandless to poke home the second rebound in the 21st minute.
Malaysia were back on terms within three minutes, working their way down the preferred left flank. Marhan jinked his way into the circle before driving a strong push on the 45 angle to the back post.
Amid the melee, Gormley appeared to get an unfortunate stick to the ball though the waiting Hanfi Hafifihafiz was also in the mix and took the credit for the equaliser.
Into the second half, Malaysia started to turn the screw in terms of possession and territory but Ireland kept them outside the 25 for the most part and, after a piece of Giles’ 3d magic, earned another corner.
Sothern nailed low and true in the 47th minute to regain the lead – punishing Malaysia’s second green card sin-binning.
But a player deficit cost Ireland dear in the closing stages as they looked a little jaded in the closing stages. First, the visitors profited from a player advantage when Doherty was binned for two minutes when Ahmad Tajudin provided the moment of the night.
Following a long corner with his back to goal, he turned on a sixpence, flipping the ball through two defenders in the process before sliding his reverse-stick under the ball and over Iain Walker for a delicate finish.
Then, with Ames sitting out the last three and a half minutes for a midfield foul, Tajudin took the lead for the first time in the 68th minute. It was a simpler task to finish this time, rolling home a two-on-one chance from Misron Azlan’s pass.
But Ireland garnered a last chance in the closing stages and Sothern zipped home his 17th international goal, via the goalkeeper’s pad, to earn a draw and stretch the men’s unbeaten to eight games.
Irish assistant coach Arul Anthoni Selvaraj was satisfied with a performance against a Malaysian side “at their peak”
“We have been trying some new defensive tactics and we were pleased with how this went against Malaysia tonight,” he said.
“Obviously, Malaysia have some fast and furious players and they are busy preparing for the Commonwealth Game and Asian Games later in the year, so they are at their peak.”
Umpires: Geoff Conn, Andrew Groves.

By Hookhockey

NPC Dutch Lady Buka Puasa

CATCHING UP: Ahirudin (standing, left) and Tengku Sharifuddin (centre) having a banter with media guests

KUALA LUMPUR: Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd yesterday feted National Press Club members at the Halia Restaurant, Sime Darby Convention Centre.

Its corporate communications head, Jad Mahidin, said the break fast function was timely to foster closer ties with NPC and the media.

Among the 37 guests were NPC president Datuk Ahirudin Attan, and editors from various newspapers, magazines, Bernama and bloggers.

Also in attendance was Datuk Tengku Sharifuddin Tengku Ahmad, Press secretary to the Prime Minister.