Englands Women also win in France

England won the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Challenge in Rouen on Sunday morning after defeating Turkey, who finish bottom of the division, by ten goals. The result means that England has achieved its target or securing promotion to the 2011 Trophy division.

It was another commanding performance by the English whose goals were scored by six different scorers including a hat-trick from Beckie Herbert and one from 19 year old Georgie Twigg. Chloe Rogers, Susie Gilbert, Kerry Williams and Natalie Seymour also found the target for England who won the match 10-0.

England Head Coach Nick Clark said afterwards that he felt the team had earned its reward after a series of consistent performances: “We’re delighted,” he said. “The girls have thoroughly deserved this reward from the way they have played across the weekend. The highlight of the weekend was probably beating France 7-0 on Friday, although as I said at the time it wasn’t really a 7-0 game. The fact that we’ve only conceded three goals all tournament is particularly pleasing and reflects the strength of the team. We will look forward to playing in the Trophy in two years time.”

The win means that England have achieved exactly what they set out to do - sealing promotion to the EuroHockey Indoor Nations Trophy in 2011.

Courtesy of England Hockey

Final rankings:

1st England (promoted)
2nd France (promoted)
3rd Sweden
4th Croatia
5th Wales
6th Turkey

New Zealand win 2010 World Cup Qualifier

New Zealand 2 v 1 Malaysia HT 0-1 | 2009-11-15 15:05
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

The Black Sticks Men capped off a fantastic weekend for New Zealand sport becoming the second team in two days to qualify for a World Cup.

New Zealand came from behind to beat Malaysia 2-1 today in freezing Invercargill conditions, in the final of the BDO World Cup Qualifier.

The Black Sticks were down 1-0 with 23 minutes to play and looked well and truly shaken by the gutsy Malaysians, who had scored from a penalty corner in the 18th minute.

The Malaysians defended very well, particularly at the top of the circle, dispossessing the New Zealand strike force which had run rampant up until the final scoring 28 goals in five games.

Break through player Andy Hayward, scored both of the New Zealand goals, from penalty corner drag flicks in the 57th and 60th minute.

Black Sticks Men’s Coach Shane McLeod said after the match his feeling was mainly one of relief: “A final is tough when there is such a prize at stake,” he said. “I don’t think we played overly well. We haven’t been challenged through the tournament and Malaysia could taste they had an opportunity.”

McLeod played tribute to Hayward’s efforts: “We have put a lot of work into Andy and I am so pleased for him. When you flick well often your hockey goes the same way.”

The World Cup will be held in New Delhi, India, next Febuary.

Austria 3 v 2 Wales HT 0-2 | 2009-11-15 10:35
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Scotland 2 v 2 China HT 1-1 | Flicks 5-3 | 2009-11-15 12:35
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Scorers

New Zealand 2 (Andy Hayward 2) Malaysia 1 (Razie Abd Rahim) H:T 1-0 Malaysia

Scotland 5 (Stephen Dick, Kenneth Bain) China 3 (Yixian Liu, Fengui Lu) (penalty strokes extra time, after score tied 2-2 full time. )

Austria 3 (Georg Jelinek 2, Michael Korper) Wales 2 (Benjamin Croxall, Matthew Ruxton) H:T 2-0 Wales

Final placings

1st New Zealand

2nd Malaysia

3rd Scotland

4th China

5th : Austria

6th : Wales

New Zealand walk into World Cup 2010 Qualifier Final

Malaysia 3 v 2 Scotland HT 3-0 | 2009-11-12 14:00
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Austria 2 v 0 Wales HT 1-0 | 2009-11-12 16:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

China 1 v 6 New Zealand HT 0-3 | 2009-11-12 18:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

The Black Sticks are through to the final of the BDO Men’s World Cup Qualifier in Invercargill, with a game in hand, after downing China 6-1 tonight.

With 12 points from four victories, New Zealand will meet either China (nine points after today) or Malaysia who now have seven points after beating Scotland.

New Zealand ran rampant over the Chinese and were three goals up by half time.

Andy Hayward scored the first two from drag flicks, taking his conversion rate to five from eight attempts. Phil Burrows scored the third on the right post, converting a beautiful drive from the far left from Ryan Archibald.

In the second half, some good work in the circle by Nick Wilson set up Simon Child for his first goal after 11 minutes. Child fired home a well struck shot from the top of the circle for his second six minutes later and Hayden Shaw drove in a furiously paced drag flick in the 56th minute to take the final tally to six. China scored a consolation goal from a penalty corner with a minute to play, through Dong Yang.

Black Sticks Coach Shane McLeod said after the game he was pleased his side had earned the right not to have to fight for the second place in the final.

“We will have to be careful not to lose our momentum and will make sure we set a good platform for the final,” he said. “We have taken our opportunities well. It is difficult for teams to handle when you have more than one key player. We have a good spread of dangerous players which has worked for us.”

Malaysia just saw off a strong second half performance by Scotland to take out the match 3-2. The Malaysians allowed the Scottish to climb into the game in the second half by turning over too much possession. The Scottish scored twice, but were unable to find the equaliser. The win kept Malaysia in hunt for the final. Austria notched up their first win, beating Wales 2-0.

Scorers

Malaysia 3 (Faizal Saari 2, Amin Rahim) Scotland (Stephen Dick, Kenneth Bain) 2 H:T 3-0.
Austria 2 (Michael Korper, Benjamin Stanzl) Wales 0 H:T 1-0
New Zealand 6 (Andy Hayward 2, Simon Child 2, Hayden Shaw, Phil Burrows) China 1 (Dong Yang) H:T 3-0

NZ and China win again in 2010 World Cup Qualifier

China and New Zealand won their 3rd game in a row and dominate this 2nd 2010 World Cup Qualifier. Only malaysia can catch the pair but they must win their last two games while the other two must lose both theirs.

Austria 2 v 3 Scotland HT 1-0 | 2009-11-10 14:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Wales 1 v 2 China HT 0-0 | 2009-11-10 16:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

New Zealand 4 v 2 Malaysia HT 2-1 | 2009-11-10 18:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

The Black Sticks confirmed their tournament favouritism today in Invercargill at the BDO Men’s World Cup Qualifier, responding well to a stiff challenge from Malaysia to win 4- 2.

New Zealand leads the points table with three wins from three matches, on equal points with China, but well ahead on goal difference.

Black Sticks Coach Shane McLeod was pleased with how his side responded to the increased pressure when Malaysia equalised 2-2 in the 44th minute of the game.

“For a short time it did feel like we might not have both hands on it, so I was pleased with how we responded and showed we really want it. Malaysia are a tenacious team,” he said.

New Zealand opened the match by continuing their solid penalty corner record, with Ryan Archibald getting a touch on an Andy Hayward drag flick in the sixth minute.

Simon Child put a beautiful long ball into the circle for Phil Burrows to deflect home from very little space four minutes later.

Malaysia responded with a corner conversion of their own when Amin Rahim swept a ball to Azlan Misron on the left post five minutes before half time for NZ to go into the break 2-1 up.

In the second half Faizal Saari equalised from the field to set the Malaysians alight in the 44th minute.

The Black Sticks moved back into the lead in the 52nd minute when Hayden Shaw, playing his first game of the tournament, converted a penalty corner. In the 62nd minute Burrows returned the favour to Child who earlier sent him up for Burrows’ first goal, by putting a beautiful ball through for Child to slide on to and score.

McLeod said the side’s next match against China would be a good gauge of where the Chinese are really at. He was surprised they had not put away the Europeans teams more easily.

Scotland recorded their first win in a thrilling comeback against Austria. Down 2-1 with 11 minutes to play, Scotland rallied with a field goal to Kenneth Bain in the 61st minute to equalise followed by a penalty corner conversion from the stick of Mark Ralph with four minutes from the final whistle.

A sensational 57th minute goal by Yubo Na sealed China’s third straight win, over Wales today. Na created space for himself with a deft move and nailed a solid forehand shot from the top of the circle.

Scorers

New Zealand (Ryan Archibald, Phil Burrows, Hayden Shaw, Simon Child) Malaysia (2 (Faizal Saari, Azlan Misron) H:T 2-1 NZ.
China 2 (Yixian Liu, Yubo Na) Wales 1 (Andrew Cornick) H:T 0-0
Scotland 3 Ross Stott, Mark Ralph, Kenneth Bain Austria 2 Peter Proksch, Michael Korper H:T 1-0 Austria.

New Zealand smash 8 past Scotland in 2nd Qualifier

Scotland 0 v 8 New Zealand HT 0-3 | 2009-11-08 13:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Wales 1 v 2 Malaysia HT 2-0 | 2009-11-08 15:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Austria 1 v 2 China HT 0-1 | 2009-11-08 15:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Eighteen-year-old Nick Wilson had a golden day in front of goal at the BDO Men’s World Cup Qualifier today in Invercargill, touching home four times, against Scotland, a feat not often achieved in international hockey.

Wilson was not only prolific, but the quality of the goals, also impressed Black Sticks Coach Shane McLeod.

McLeod was full of praise for the youngster, who only left Palmerston North Boys High School last year and is fast developing goal scoring skills in the ilk of 20-year-old Simon Child.

New cap Hugo Inglis (17), was first on the scoreboard for New Zealand, putting away a rebound in the 16th minute to record his first international goal

Priyesh Bhana put a nice bunt forward for Simon Child to run on to and push home, 10 minutes later.

A fine run down the left by Wilson set up captain Phil Burrows from close range for the third goal a minute before half time.

In the second half Burrows reopened the scoring action in the 46th minute, finding space from nowhere for his cracking shot.

Wilson’s first goal followed, a simple tap home in the 48th minute. He struck again two minutes later picking up the rebound from an Andy Hayward drag flick attempt, fired high from the right for his third and finished with another rebound pickup from the field in the 60th minute.

McLeod said after the match he was delighted with the form of his young talent up front, but also paid tribute to the established, experienced players in the squad, including Ryan Archibald and Blair Hopping.

“It was a combination of the experience and the young players that won the game today. It is hard not to be happy with an 8-0 win,” he said.

New Zealand now have a rest day before meeting Malaysia on Tuesday. Malaysia should provide a stiffer test. The Black Sticks are securely at the top of the tournament table, with China on equal points with two wins, but well behind on goal difference.

Scorers

New Zealand 8 (Nick Wilson 4, Phil Burrows 2, Simon Child, Hugo Inglis). Scotland 0 H:T 3-0. Malaysia 2 (Tengku Ahmad 2) Wales 1 (Richard Gay) H:T: 2-0.
China 2 (Yixian Liu, Long Sun) Austria 1(Geong Jelinek) H:T 1-0 China

GB ladies head for Argentina

Great Britain Hockey has today announced that the Great Britain women’s team will visit Argentina this winter for a test series against the world’s second ranked team.

The series against Las Leonas is being played in Salta in northern Argentina, alongside the men’s BDO Champions Challenge I.

Final details of the trip, including the number of matches to be played, are yet to be confirmed, however the visit will last 12 days with the squad departing on Wednesday 9 December and returning on Sunday 20 December.

Head Coach Danny Kerry will announce his squad for the series on Thursday 26 November.

World Cup 2010 Qualifiers - New Zealand start with a 6-2 win

China 2 v 1 Scotland 2009-11-07 12:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

New Zealand 6 v 2 Wales 2009-11-07 14:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

Malaysia 2 v 2 Austria 2009-11-07 16:00
No Venue | 2010 Men's World Cup Qualifier (National Mens) | Match Report(s)

The Black Sticks opened the BDO Men’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Invercargill with a slow starting, but ultimately comfortable 6-2 win over Wales.

Eighteen-year-old talent Nick Wilson opened the scoring for New Zealand, in the 17th minute after he found himself on the receiving end of a fortuitous deflection, right in front of goal. Wilson aggressively banged home an aerial shot from close range, to stamp his first mark on the tournament.

Andy Hayward followed by making the most of his opportunities at penalty corner time to successfully convert two from two before half time.

The comfortable three goal buffer was quickly eroded in the second half however when Richard Gay added two drag flicks of his own, for Wales, in the 37th and 49th minute.

The Black Sticks responded well to the pressure, Nick Wilson finishing off an attack for a 4-2 lead in the 60th minute. Phil Burrows netted a nice pass from Simon Child for the fifth goal three minutes later and Hayward completed his hat trick in the final minute.

The Black Sticks next match is against Scotland

In other first round matches, China beat Scotland 2 - 1 and Austria came from behind to draw with Malaysia 2- 2. .

England Girls and Wales Boys U18 Champs

ENGLAND Under-18 Girls were crowned UK School Games Champions after they secured a third straight victory at the Wales Institute of Sport in Cardiff, beating Scotland 5-3 last Sunday.

The team has gone from strength to strength over the three-day event, culminating in a confident victory over a Scotland side who were also unbeaten in the Tournament until they faced England.

“We’re delighted how the team has welded together in such a short space of time,” said assistant coach Charlie Seecomb. “They deserve every credit for what has been achieved, not just from a results perspective but for the way they have developed patterns of play.”

The victory began in the fifth minute with Bradford Wakefield’s Rosie Tootell scoring from a penalty corner, striking home into the bottom right corner, and the very next minute their lead was doubled with Georgia Rawlinson scoring the first of her four goals, again from a penalty corner.

Rawlinson’s second goal came from open play on 18 minutes, and although Scotland pulled back a goal through Heath Elder just before half time through a penalty corner, England were still in command.

Rawlinson secured her hat-trick on 50 minutes as England went 4-1 ahead, but Scotland hit back seven minutes later, Anna Thompson scoring the goal from another penalty corner.

Rawlinson’s fourth goal came on 64 minutes from open play. The initial shot was saved by the Scotland goalkeeper, but the ball fell loose, and the Firebrands player lifted it over the stranded keeper to bag a fourth goal.

Scotland attacked desperately, and Thompson added a third for Scotland in the final minute, but it was no more than a consolation as England were celebrating a matter of seconds later.

England Boys U18 could not match the achievement. Although they beat Scotland 8-1 in the final match the loss to wales earlier in the competition cost them the gold medal.

We’re extremely pleased with the performance,” said team manager Steve Floyd. “We played much better today than in the other games, and really took our chances.

It’s disappointing that we didn’t do that earlier in the competition. That cost us the gold medal, but we’re pleased with our performance today.”

England Girls and Wales Boys U18 Champs