18/10/2001
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
ARGENTINA played to form and knocked out defending champions and hosts
Australia out of the semifinals of the Junior World Cup at the Tasmanian
Hockey Centre yesterday.
With the win Argentina are at the top of Group F and will meet England
in the crossover semifinals on Friday while India will meet Germany in
what is expected to be the thriller of the world cup.
Playing in Group F, India dazzled the crowd with some slick stick work
and put the Dutch out of the running with sheer determination and
excellent teamwork for a 4-3 win.
If asked to choose between India and Argentina, a very thin line will
separate both sides who have excellent forwards and defenders.
And since South Korea, who were whipped 7-3 by the Germans on Wednesday,
rebounded well and denied Spain a ticket to the last four with a 5-3 win,
they did England a favour.
Germany beat England to top Group E but England's fairytale run is
expected to come to an abrupt end on Friday.
Argentina have never seen action in the semifinal level of the junior or
senior world cup, so the Germans will have to bring out their best to make
the final.
Argentina scored the first goal in the 22nd minute when Juan Gilardi
hammered home a penalty corner and the ausies, who needed a clear win,
were in trouble.
In the 66th minute, Australia scored off a penalty corner when Lachlan
Vivian Taylor was on target and from then on they tries their best to seal
the match but the speedy Argies defended well and were dangerous in the
counter attacks.
Australia badly needed a goal and with one minute remaining in the
match, all 10 players went upfront and were in the semicircle when
Argentine defender Lucas Rey took control and sent the ball to the Aussie
semicircle. With 27 seconds on the clock, Argentina won a penalty corner
and Juan e Garreta made sure of a place in the finals.
India on the other hand were on top of the match all the time and scored
two goals in the seventh (Ajit Singh Gagan) and the 10th minutes (Jugraj
Singh) to put pressure on the Dutch but could not break them.
Holland came back in the 17th (Roderick Weather) and in the 22nd minutes
(Mathijs van Weerd) and the match was wide open again.
In the 48th minute, India went up again when Prabhjot Singh scored a
field goal. But a minute later, Holland won a penalty corner and rob
reckers made it 3-3.
India were not to be denied their day and in the 57th minute, Kamal
Singh scored a penalty corner and the Dutch became desperate. With five
seconds on the clock, Holland won a penalty corner and there was total
silence at the Tasmanian hockey centre as the crowd did not even dare to
breathe.
Holland missed and India went into the semis.
(END)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Now Juniors struggle to get past Chileans
18/10/2001
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: The National Juniors played one of their worst matches in the
Junior World Cup at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre yesterday, but somehow,
were lucky enough to top Group H when the final whistle blew.
After watching them in action for the last five matches, where they drew
three times and lost two, the match against Chile was expected to be the
easiest because the South American side have been the whipping boys of the
Junior World Cup.
But Chile almost had the last laugh in the final 10 minutes of play and
if not for goalkeeper Mohamed Firdaus, the only player who has had a good
game in the World Cup, Chile would have forced Malaysia out of the ninth-
12th classification matches.
Malaysia needed to win by at least two goals to make the ninth-12th
playoffs but they started the match badly and in the entire first half,
only had two penalty corners and scored because Chile did not have good
runners and made things that much easier.
Malaysia will now play New Zealand in the crossover semifinals of the
bottom eight. Malaysia lost 3-2 to New Zealand in the first round as well
as Chua Boon Huat and Jiwa Mohan to yellow cards in the robust match.
In Group G, France beat Canada 3-0 yesterday while New Zealand beat
Ireland 3-1. France topped the group on a single goal difference and New
Zealand finished second.
In the other Group H match, South Africa beat Scotland 3-2 in a penalty
shootout after both sides ended the match 3-3 and were tied with five
points each and their goal difference was also the same. So South Africa
will meet France in the crossover semis.
Malaysia made it through the skin of their teeth because they also had
five points after the win against Chile but had scored one extra goal in
the second round.
Jiwa Mohan scored the first goal in the 30th minute and after that the
entire team started defending in numbers.
In the 35th minute, Malaysia won their second penalty corner and this
time it was Chua who pushed it in.
The second half was heart stopping for the handful of Malaysian fans who
turned up to support the team because Chile looked dangerous and could
have scored if not for Fairuz.
Malaysia increased the lead in the 50th minute off a Mohamed Fairuz
field goal but five minutes later, Chile scored a field goal when Alan
Stein tapped in after Chua and Shanker bumped into each other and fell.
"I don't know what happened today. The boys really played badly and the
pressure was so much that I almost got a heart attack watching them from
the sidelines," said Yahya after the match.
He was especially disappointed with the way the four regulars with the
senior side played in Hobart.
"Shanker, Boon Huat, K. Logan Raj and Jiwa Mohan were expected to guide
the rest of the Juniors because they have the experience of playing in the
senior side and have been on numerous tours around the world. But they
really played badly in Hobart."
So why did he keep fielding the four seniors in all the matches?
"I have no choice, just look at the bench. We have no depth at all." jugjet@nstp.com.my SECOND ROUND RESULTS
GROUP E
GERMANY 3 ENGLAND 2
SOUTH KOREA 5 SPAIN 3
GROUP F
ARGENTINA 2AUSTRALIA 1
INDIA 4HOLLAND 3
LOSER'S POOL
GROUP G
NEW ZEALAND 3 IRELAND 1
FRANCE 3 CANADA 0
GROUP H
MALAYSIA 3 CHILE 1
SOUTH AFRICA 3 SCOTLAND 3
(END)
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: The National Juniors played one of their worst matches in the
Junior World Cup at the Tasmanian Hockey Centre yesterday, but somehow,
were lucky enough to top Group H when the final whistle blew.
After watching them in action for the last five matches, where they drew
three times and lost two, the match against Chile was expected to be the
easiest because the South American side have been the whipping boys of the
Junior World Cup.
But Chile almost had the last laugh in the final 10 minutes of play and
if not for goalkeeper Mohamed Firdaus, the only player who has had a good
game in the World Cup, Chile would have forced Malaysia out of the ninth-
12th classification matches.
Malaysia needed to win by at least two goals to make the ninth-12th
playoffs but they started the match badly and in the entire first half,
only had two penalty corners and scored because Chile did not have good
runners and made things that much easier.
Malaysia will now play New Zealand in the crossover semifinals of the
bottom eight. Malaysia lost 3-2 to New Zealand in the first round as well
as Chua Boon Huat and Jiwa Mohan to yellow cards in the robust match.
In Group G, France beat Canada 3-0 yesterday while New Zealand beat
Ireland 3-1. France topped the group on a single goal difference and New
Zealand finished second.
In the other Group H match, South Africa beat Scotland 3-2 in a penalty
shootout after both sides ended the match 3-3 and were tied with five
points each and their goal difference was also the same. So South Africa
will meet France in the crossover semis.
Malaysia made it through the skin of their teeth because they also had
five points after the win against Chile but had scored one extra goal in
the second round.
Jiwa Mohan scored the first goal in the 30th minute and after that the
entire team started defending in numbers.
In the 35th minute, Malaysia won their second penalty corner and this
time it was Chua who pushed it in.
The second half was heart stopping for the handful of Malaysian fans who
turned up to support the team because Chile looked dangerous and could
have scored if not for Fairuz.
Malaysia increased the lead in the 50th minute off a Mohamed Fairuz
field goal but five minutes later, Chile scored a field goal when Alan
Stein tapped in after Chua and Shanker bumped into each other and fell.
"I don't know what happened today. The boys really played badly and the
pressure was so much that I almost got a heart attack watching them from
the sidelines," said Yahya after the match.
He was especially disappointed with the way the four regulars with the
senior side played in Hobart.
"Shanker, Boon Huat, K. Logan Raj and Jiwa Mohan were expected to guide
the rest of the Juniors because they have the experience of playing in the
senior side and have been on numerous tours around the world. But they
really played badly in Hobart."
So why did he keep fielding the four seniors in all the matches?
"I have no choice, just look at the bench. We have no depth at all." jugjet@nstp.com.my SECOND ROUND RESULTS
GROUP E
GERMANY 3 ENGLAND 2
SOUTH KOREA 5 SPAIN 3
GROUP F
ARGENTINA 2AUSTRALIA 1
INDIA 4HOLLAND 3
LOSER'S POOL
GROUP G
NEW ZEALAND 3 IRELAND 1
FRANCE 3 CANADA 0
GROUP H
MALAYSIA 3 CHILE 1
SOUTH AFRICA 3 SCOTLAND 3
(END)
Argentine threat looms large
17/10/2001
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
WATCH out for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Argentina? Yes, the South Americans are the latest revelation in the
hockey world and if their juniors are to be used as a yardstick, the
Argies are going to take Kuala Lumpur by storm in February next year.
There are 16 juniors in Hobart in the Junior World Cup and about seven
of them are likely to make the senior squad. But Argentine coach Alejandro
Verga reckons only Rodrigo Vila, their skipper, will make the grade in
2002.
His reason: "There are 30 players in the senior squad training for the
Kuala Lumpur World Cup, and all of them are better than what we have in
Hobart for the junior tournament."
Argentina are on everybody's lips in Hobart and when they play Australia
today in the second round, nobody will be surprised if they hammer the
hosts and defending champions out of the tournament.
Vila, goalkeeper Joaquin Berthold, Juan Gilardi, Marcelo del Negro,
Matias Masot, Aeljandro Pasquali. The list goes on and on until every
player in the team is named, have talent, superb stick work and attack as
a team all the time, especially if they are a goal down as Holland found
out yesterday.
So how did Argentina, who normally shy off in the quarterfinals or the
semis in the past 10 years, assemble such a strong senior and junior side?
Verga, an expert one-line comedian off the field, feels that their
development programmes have finally started to show results.
Hockey is slowly picking up in the Americas and they are only riding on
the early waves, Verga cautioned: "one day we will become a tidal wave and
flood all the hockey pitches in the world."
There are about 300 active hockey players who are fighting to make the
grade in Argentina and the locals have started supporting them in a big
way, but compared to soccer, the support is like a drop of water in an
ocean.
So watch out for the Argies when they arrive in Kuala Lumpur in
February, if nothing else, the South Americans will be a joy to watch
because they have combined the Indian flair, German imagination, and South
Korean fighting spirit into their game.
And if they win big, in Verga's words: "Everything will start looking
nice, the mountains, the weather and even the hotel will suddenly look
like the ones back home."
On another note, while the rest of the world are glued to the bombings
in Afghanistan and the anthrax scare in the United States, in Tasmania the
headlines screamed of a fox being shot in the Symmons plains in north
Tasmania.
And the noise is not coming from animal lovers for cruelty on the fox
but because they now have proof for the first time of the "devastating"
pest's existence in the state.
After extensive laboratory testing, the stomach contents of the dead fox
included a dusky wood swallow, which migrates to Tasmania from interstate
in summer, a long tailed rat known as the Tasmanian mouse, and berries.
(END)
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
WATCH out for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.
Argentina? Yes, the South Americans are the latest revelation in the
hockey world and if their juniors are to be used as a yardstick, the
Argies are going to take Kuala Lumpur by storm in February next year.
There are 16 juniors in Hobart in the Junior World Cup and about seven
of them are likely to make the senior squad. But Argentine coach Alejandro
Verga reckons only Rodrigo Vila, their skipper, will make the grade in
2002.
His reason: "There are 30 players in the senior squad training for the
Kuala Lumpur World Cup, and all of them are better than what we have in
Hobart for the junior tournament."
Argentina are on everybody's lips in Hobart and when they play Australia
today in the second round, nobody will be surprised if they hammer the
hosts and defending champions out of the tournament.
Vila, goalkeeper Joaquin Berthold, Juan Gilardi, Marcelo del Negro,
Matias Masot, Aeljandro Pasquali. The list goes on and on until every
player in the team is named, have talent, superb stick work and attack as
a team all the time, especially if they are a goal down as Holland found
out yesterday.
So how did Argentina, who normally shy off in the quarterfinals or the
semis in the past 10 years, assemble such a strong senior and junior side?
Verga, an expert one-line comedian off the field, feels that their
development programmes have finally started to show results.
Hockey is slowly picking up in the Americas and they are only riding on
the early waves, Verga cautioned: "one day we will become a tidal wave and
flood all the hockey pitches in the world."
There are about 300 active hockey players who are fighting to make the
grade in Argentina and the locals have started supporting them in a big
way, but compared to soccer, the support is like a drop of water in an
ocean.
So watch out for the Argies when they arrive in Kuala Lumpur in
February, if nothing else, the South Americans will be a joy to watch
because they have combined the Indian flair, German imagination, and South
Korean fighting spirit into their game.
And if they win big, in Verga's words: "Everything will start looking
nice, the mountains, the weather and even the hotel will suddenly look
like the ones back home."
On another note, while the rest of the world are glued to the bombings
in Afghanistan and the anthrax scare in the United States, in Tasmania the
headlines screamed of a fox being shot in the Symmons plains in north
Tasmania.
And the noise is not coming from animal lovers for cruelty on the fox
but because they now have proof for the first time of the "devastating"
pest's existence in the state.
After extensive laboratory testing, the stomach contents of the dead fox
included a dusky wood swallow, which migrates to Tasmania from interstate
in summer, a long tailed rat known as the Tasmanian mouse, and berries.
(END)
The nightmare continues
17/10/2001
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: Malaysia scored first but it did not matter because all those who
watched their classification match against South Africa in the Junior
World Cup knew that another disaster was in the making at the Tasmanian
Hockey Centre yesterday.
So when the final whistle blew, it was a big surprise that they managed
to win a point in their second Group H match. on Sunday, the Juniors were
held to a 1-1 draw by Scotland. They are now left with two points from two
matches.
The Chileans, who play the Malaysians today, could go on to spoil the
mood in the Malaysian camp when they wrap up the second round fixtures
unless skipper Chua Boon Huat and company come up with some excellent
performance in their quest for ninth placing.
But Chile is another story, the disappointing match against South Africa
took the cake yesterday.
There was never a moment that Malaysia actually resembled a team which
has been preparing for the past three years and in their bungling ways,
they made the South Africans look good.
Watching the Malaysians in the first half was a painful sight as
whenever the forwards took the ball to their opponents 25-yard line, they
made a back pass to either defenders Chua and S. Shanker who in turn took
their time and switched play from left to right and sometimes got robbed
of the ball with weak passes.
The South Africans had their share of a peek at the Malaysian goalmouth
but could do little damage as they were without good forwards. The
Malaysians, on the other hand, had three penalty corners.
In the 33rd minute, in one of their rare moves into the South African
semicircle, the ball struck K. Logan Raj's stick and deflected into goal
after a goalmouth melee. It not only caught the fans by surprise but also
the stunned Malaysians who only regained their composure and celebrated
after the umpire blew for goal.
The second half was no different, with the Malaysians packing their own
defence and allowing the opposition to come at them.
And it was this blunder that allowed South Africa to equalise because
every time Norazlan Rahim or Tajol Rosli received the ball in midfield,
they turned back to the Malaysian goal and made a back pass to the
defenders. Wisened up by the move by now, the South African strikers
pounced on a back pass in the 54th minute and relayed the ball to Ian
Symons. Symons blasted it past goalkeeper Firdaus Razali.
In the 60th minute, the South Africans could have taken the lead off a
penalty stroke after Redzuan Ponirin was penalised but Firdaus pulled off
a superb save.
Firdaus, who replaced Saiful Azhar after three matches here, has been
playing to form. He has saved three out of four penalty strokes awarded
against Malaysia in the second round of the tournament.
Coach Yahya Atan defended his boys and was happy with the one point they
salvaged against South Africa.
"They did well and held on to the ball for long periods just like they
were told to do. We missed a couple of chances in our counter attacks but
we can still salvage some pride by beating Chile which will take our total
to five points.
"The target to finish ninth is still within our reach. Chile can be
beaten," said Yahya.
Malaysia take on Chile at 12 noon (Malaysian time) while South Africa
and Scotland play in the morning.
All this only makes our task much harder as the Juniors will have to win
by a big margin against Chile, and hope that the Scotland-South Africa
match does not end in a draw. SECOND ROUND RESULTS
GROUP E
GERMANY 7 SOUTH KOREA 3
GROUP F
ARGENTINA 3 HOLLAND 2
LOSER'S POOL
GROUP G
NEW ZEALAND 4 FRANCE 3
GROUP H
MALAYSIA 1 SOUTH AFRICA 1
Jugjet@nstp.com.my
(END)
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: Malaysia scored first but it did not matter because all those who
watched their classification match against South Africa in the Junior
World Cup knew that another disaster was in the making at the Tasmanian
Hockey Centre yesterday.
So when the final whistle blew, it was a big surprise that they managed
to win a point in their second Group H match. on Sunday, the Juniors were
held to a 1-1 draw by Scotland. They are now left with two points from two
matches.
The Chileans, who play the Malaysians today, could go on to spoil the
mood in the Malaysian camp when they wrap up the second round fixtures
unless skipper Chua Boon Huat and company come up with some excellent
performance in their quest for ninth placing.
But Chile is another story, the disappointing match against South Africa
took the cake yesterday.
There was never a moment that Malaysia actually resembled a team which
has been preparing for the past three years and in their bungling ways,
they made the South Africans look good.
Watching the Malaysians in the first half was a painful sight as
whenever the forwards took the ball to their opponents 25-yard line, they
made a back pass to either defenders Chua and S. Shanker who in turn took
their time and switched play from left to right and sometimes got robbed
of the ball with weak passes.
The South Africans had their share of a peek at the Malaysian goalmouth
but could do little damage as they were without good forwards. The
Malaysians, on the other hand, had three penalty corners.
In the 33rd minute, in one of their rare moves into the South African
semicircle, the ball struck K. Logan Raj's stick and deflected into goal
after a goalmouth melee. It not only caught the fans by surprise but also
the stunned Malaysians who only regained their composure and celebrated
after the umpire blew for goal.
The second half was no different, with the Malaysians packing their own
defence and allowing the opposition to come at them.
And it was this blunder that allowed South Africa to equalise because
every time Norazlan Rahim or Tajol Rosli received the ball in midfield,
they turned back to the Malaysian goal and made a back pass to the
defenders. Wisened up by the move by now, the South African strikers
pounced on a back pass in the 54th minute and relayed the ball to Ian
Symons. Symons blasted it past goalkeeper Firdaus Razali.
In the 60th minute, the South Africans could have taken the lead off a
penalty stroke after Redzuan Ponirin was penalised but Firdaus pulled off
a superb save.
Firdaus, who replaced Saiful Azhar after three matches here, has been
playing to form. He has saved three out of four penalty strokes awarded
against Malaysia in the second round of the tournament.
Coach Yahya Atan defended his boys and was happy with the one point they
salvaged against South Africa.
"They did well and held on to the ball for long periods just like they
were told to do. We missed a couple of chances in our counter attacks but
we can still salvage some pride by beating Chile which will take our total
to five points.
"The target to finish ninth is still within our reach. Chile can be
beaten," said Yahya.
Malaysia take on Chile at 12 noon (Malaysian time) while South Africa
and Scotland play in the morning.
All this only makes our task much harder as the Juniors will have to win
by a big margin against Chile, and hope that the Scotland-South Africa
match does not end in a draw. SECOND ROUND RESULTS
GROUP E
GERMANY 7 SOUTH KOREA 3
GROUP F
ARGENTINA 3 HOLLAND 2
LOSER'S POOL
GROUP G
NEW ZEALAND 4 FRANCE 3
GROUP H
MALAYSIA 1 SOUTH AFRICA 1
Jugjet@nstp.com.my
(END)
Indians unlucky against Aussies
16/10/2001
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: India were clearly the better team but champions Australia walked
away with three points after their Junior World Cup match at the Tasmanian
hockey centre yesterday.
In the last 15 minutes, India, who were trailing 2-1, displayed some
world class attacking hockey with little regard for defence but Australian
goalkeeper Leon Martin stood his ground.
And when the horn blew, even the Australian fans knew they were lucky to
have walked away as winners.
The first half was lopsided as Indian skipper Ajit Singh Gagan, Jugraj
Singh and Prabhjot Singh kept the ball in the Australian semicircle for
long periods with great stick work and superb team play.
In the 23rd minute, India scored off a penalty corner set piece, but the
goal was disallowed by the umpire.
But India had impressed the crowd with their wizardry and the second
half was an exciting affair.
In the 38th minute, the match took on a physical look as both sides
tried to break the deadlock with India trying to score while Australia
were desperate to move upfront more often.
That was when Ajit received a nasty blow just below his knee and had to
be carried out. He required stitches and was out for 10 minutes but India
hardly missed him as the scored the opener off a penalty corner.
A dummy saw Jugraj with plenty of room and he slammed in the lead. The
desperate Aussies, who lost 4-2 to Holland on Sunday, needed to win and
the match became robust with four yellow cards flashed with two for each
side. In the 44th minute, Australia leveled with a penalty corner goal
from their skipper Craig Victory. It was following one of the rare
attacks.
India still dominated but poor finishing cost them as Australia fought
back and in the 58th minute, Josh Hawes scored a field goal which brought
the crowd to their feet.
Australia meet Argentina tomorrow and must win if they want to defend
their crown while India, who have only one point after a 2-2 draw with
Argentina, meet Holland in what will be their last chance to remain in the
running for the semifinals.
In pool E, England, who beat korea 5-3 on Sunday, continued their fine
run and drew 2-2 with Spain. They play Germany tomorrow and if they win,
it will be the fairytale of the tournament.
Today, the match of the day is between Holland and Argentina and it will
be interesting to see how the Dutch stop the speedy Argies.
(END)
By Jugjet Singh in Hobart
HOBART: India were clearly the better team but champions Australia walked
away with three points after their Junior World Cup match at the Tasmanian
hockey centre yesterday.
In the last 15 minutes, India, who were trailing 2-1, displayed some
world class attacking hockey with little regard for defence but Australian
goalkeeper Leon Martin stood his ground.
And when the horn blew, even the Australian fans knew they were lucky to
have walked away as winners.
The first half was lopsided as Indian skipper Ajit Singh Gagan, Jugraj
Singh and Prabhjot Singh kept the ball in the Australian semicircle for
long periods with great stick work and superb team play.
In the 23rd minute, India scored off a penalty corner set piece, but the
goal was disallowed by the umpire.
But India had impressed the crowd with their wizardry and the second
half was an exciting affair.
In the 38th minute, the match took on a physical look as both sides
tried to break the deadlock with India trying to score while Australia
were desperate to move upfront more often.
That was when Ajit received a nasty blow just below his knee and had to
be carried out. He required stitches and was out for 10 minutes but India
hardly missed him as the scored the opener off a penalty corner.
A dummy saw Jugraj with plenty of room and he slammed in the lead. The
desperate Aussies, who lost 4-2 to Holland on Sunday, needed to win and
the match became robust with four yellow cards flashed with two for each
side. In the 44th minute, Australia leveled with a penalty corner goal
from their skipper Craig Victory. It was following one of the rare
attacks.
India still dominated but poor finishing cost them as Australia fought
back and in the 58th minute, Josh Hawes scored a field goal which brought
the crowd to their feet.
Australia meet Argentina tomorrow and must win if they want to defend
their crown while India, who have only one point after a 2-2 draw with
Argentina, meet Holland in what will be their last chance to remain in the
running for the semifinals.
In pool E, England, who beat korea 5-3 on Sunday, continued their fine
run and drew 2-2 with Spain. They play Germany tomorrow and if they win,
it will be the fairytale of the tournament.
Today, the match of the day is between Holland and Argentina and it will
be interesting to see how the Dutch stop the speedy Argies.
(END)
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