Team France selected for FIH Champions Challenge 2

France national coach, Scott Goodheart, has selected the team to compete in the FIH Champions Challenge 2, starting in Lille, France, on the 2nd of July 2011.

This team was finalised after a total of 32 players took part in the recent Celtic Cup in Cardiff and a 4-Nations tournament in Dublin, which included a strong 4-2 win over Pakistan.

“We had a great opportunity to see a large group of players in tough international matches at the Celtic Cup and the 4-Nations Tournament.  A number of additional players have also become available due to completing exams.  This has made selection very difficult – which is a good thing for the team,” said Goodheart.

Experienced defender Joost Jansen will return to the side, along with Cesar Hauet and two young players who were undertaking the baccalaureate exams in June – 19 year olds Hugo Genestet and Viktor Lockwood. 

It is likely further changes will be made at Les Bleus next tournament in Paris at the end of July as the coaching staff try to finalise selection for the 2011 European Nations Championships in August.

“This is very exciting for our group and French Hockey generally.  We have the opportunity to play an important international tournament in front of a home crowd, and the team will include two of our most promising young talents in France,” said Goodheart.

Other nations competing in the tournament include China, currently ranked 14 in the world, and two other teams that will be competing with ‘Les Bleus’ at the European Nations Championships in August - Ireland, currently ranked 18 in the world, and Russia, currently ranked 22 in the world.

“The tournaments we have just completed in Cardiff and Dublin demonstrate how close most of these teams are in ability.  There should be some very competitive hockey in Lille, and we will have to work very hard to get good results against what we know will be very experienced and determined opposition” said Goodheart.

The qualifying matches ahead for France in Lille are (local time):

2 July, 17h00 vs Russia
3 July, 17h00 vs Ireland
5July, 17h00 vs Scotland

The finals will begin on 7 July, with semi-finals on 9 July and the final on 10 July.

France is currently ranked 17 in the world, and is chasing their first qualification to the Olympic Games since 1972.


The 18 players for the Champions Challenge 2 in Lille are (age, club, caps):
BECUWE, Arnaud (30, Santander HC (ESP), 96)
CATONNET, Matthhieu (21, Amiens SC, 29)
DIERCKENS, Matthias (23, Lille MHC/INSEP, 27)
DIERCKENS, Bastien (23, Lille MHC/INSEP, 33)
GENESTET, Hugo (19, St Germain HC/INSEP, 14)
GENESTET, Tom (23, St Germain HC/INSEP, 52)
HAUET, César (21, Hamstead & Westminster HC (ENG), 23)
JANSEN, Joost (23, CA Montrouge/INSEP, 64)
LHOMME, Henri (27, FCHC Lyon, 24)
LOCKWOOD, Viktor (19, Lille MHC, 2)
MAGNER, Fabien (21, Paris Jean Bouin/INSEP, 31)
MIGNEAU, Valentin (25, Lille MHC/INSEP, 57)
PAUCHET, Jean Baptiste (26, St Germain HC, 33)
POURCELET, Fabien (23, St Germain HC/INSEP, 16)
SANCHEZ, Olivier (22, CA Montrouge/INSEP, 38)
SCHAMBERT, Yannick (25, Lille MHC/INSEP, 64)
SCHEEFER, François (23, CA Montrouge/INSEP, 80)
SEVESTRE, Lucas (22, St Germain HC/INSEP, 53)

Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Scott GOODHEART
Assistant Coach: David PARKER
Assistant Coach: Chris ROWOHLT
Assistant Coach: Axel GUIGNARD
Manager: Sandra HARIK
Physiotherapist: Lionel LABADIE
Sports Psychologist: Makis CHAMALIDIS

Federation Francaise de Hockey Media Release.

Rabo FIH Champions Trophy – Saturday Fixture Change

There has been a small fixture change for Saturday’s program at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy. The two Pool C matches that were due to be played – Korea v Netherlands and  Argentina v New Zealand – have been switched. The correct times can be found below. All times are Central European Standard Time (GMT +1).

Match 19 – Pool C – 10:00am – Argentina v New Zealand

Match 20 – Pool C – 12:30pm – Korea v Netherlands

Storm brings fixture change to Rabobank 4 Nation Cup

The start of the Rabobank 4-Nation Cup had to be postponed on Tuesday (28 July) when a predicted heavy storm resulted in the evacuation of Amstelveen’s Wagener Stadium.

The event – which is running alongside the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy, Women – features The Netherlands, Germany, England and Pakistan.  

Due to the cancellation of the matches, the tournament will now be in a round-robin format with each team playing the other once.

The new schedule for the tournament can be found below.

Rabo 4-Nations Cup (Men):

Wednesday 29 June 2011 (times are local – CEST)

17:30 – England v Pakistan
20:00 – Netherlands v Germany

Friday 1st July
17:30 – Germany v Pakistan
19:30 – England v Netherlands

Saturday 2nd July
15:00 – Germany v England
17:30 – Netherlands v Pakistan

Euro Hockey Fighters International Tournament

BRA (Italy) 29-30-31 October and 1 November 2011

Dear Friends, the last edition of the “ Euro Hockeyfighters “ have seen 22 teams playing very good hockey and having  fun,  the experience was positive for all coming teams and for sure for us , the Hockeyfighters International Tournament is now one of the most important meeting in Italy, this year we decided to do it only for veterans and to do it in a special period for our area the period of wine making and of the Alaba White Truffle, our area is well know for the enogastronomic tourism and end October time is the top for this matter.

WE HOPE YOUR TEAM WILL BE ONE OF THEM

DETAILS

Who organize it? The Bra Hockey Tournament Committee and the local club Hockey Bra 1960

When? The 29-30-31 october and 1 November 2011 (Saturday, Sunday ,Monday and Tuesday) don’t forget tha’s Halloween time.

Where? Bra, a place where hockey is a lifestyle!!! Number one of the Italian hockey clubs, our clubs teams have won more than 30 Italians championship, and the club is offen used as hosting club for importants  events from the International Federation of Hockey, Bra and the around area is also recognized as one of the main areas in Italy for the good food and excellent wines ( Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera  etc etc ) and the Alba white truffle.

What does it offer ? Competitions, meeting friends, gourmet dinner, tasting wines, vintage matches, disco, but above all fun fun fun and good friendship

Which categories ? Five veterans categories,  Men over 40 over 50  over 60 over 65, Ladies vet one over 35 , two players underage up to two years  are admitted in all categories

Fun ? For all our guests entertainment occasions will not be missing! Apart of the Saturday evening“ Gourmet dinner “ very special and only on reservation ( 40 places only ), we’ll organize a course of how to taste wine in Sunday evening and still Sunday in the night we’ll have a masked disco party on the theme of

Who can attend it ? A club, a team  of  friends, all veterans

How many teams ? No more than 30.

What kind of pitch? Two water based synthetic pitches

How many matches ? It will depend on the entered teams, at least four matches, of 40 minutes play,  divided in two times of 20 minutes for each time.

Rules ? Regular  teams of  11 players, following the FIH rules.

Umpiring? The teams should assure at least two umpires.

When does it start ? 9.00 a.m. Saturday

When does it finish? 16.00 p.m. Tuesday 1 October

Black Sticks grind out draw with Netherlands

New Zealand produced a gritty performance to hold Olympic Champions and host nation The Netherlands to a 0-0 draw, a result which put them into the Medal round at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy in Amstelveen.

Even though there is still three rounds of matches left to play, New Zealand are now guaranteed a top four finish at an FIH Champions Trophy event for the first time in their history. However, Black Sticks coach Mark Hagers will be focussed the minds of his rapidly developing young team, with the aim of achieving a podium finish at the very least. 

The match itself was a very tense contest, although both sides had some chances to score what would have been a match winning goal. Netherlands captain Maartje Paumen had two very good chances to score from penalty corners, but failed to establish an advantage. Lidewij Welten and Kim Lammers also went close for The Netherlands, while the Black Sticks players Katie Glynn and Kayla Sharland had the best of the chances for the Black Sticks but could not find a way past Netherlands keeper Floortje Engels.

The result completes the first phase of the competition, with the line ups for Pools C and D now known. Pool C contains the teams that are still in with a shot of winning the title, with Argentina, Korea, Netherlands and New Zealand doing battle. The results of their matches today will count towards their standing in Pool C, with all four teams taking one point into the group as Argentina and Korea also ended with the scores level today.

Pool D will eventually decide the 5^th to 8^th placed teams, with Australia, China, England and Germany fighting it out.  Australia currently lead that group thanks to today’s victory over Germany, who are currently bottom of the pool. England and China’s 0-0 draw earlier in the day sees them sitting mid-table with one point.

Before the match between The Netherlands and New Zealand, Dutch striker Kim Lammers was given credit for player her 150^th game, while Black Sticks stars Katie Glynn and Elizabeth Gunson were given credit for playing their 50^th internationals as well as Alana Millington who was celebrating her 21^st birthday.  

Review 12. Netherlands vs New Zealand 0-0 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011

> Netherlands and New Zealand both progress to Pool C. All four teams progressing bring a draw to Pool C.

> New Zealand record their best Champions Trophy result ever by finishing in the Top 4. They were ranked fifth or sixth in all eight of their previous CT appearances.

> This marked only the second time New Zealand avoided defeat against the Dutch in CT competition after a 2002 draw at the 2002 Champions Trophy.

> The Dutch have now converted 1 of 12 penalty corners awarded at the 2011 Champions Trophy (8%).

> New Zealand have failed to convert any of their 4 penalty corners awarded at the 2011 CT, including one in this match.

> This was New Zealand’s 50th Champions Trophy match. They have now won 7, drawn 11 and lost 32.

> 29 goals have been scored in 12 CT matches so far at Amstelveen 2011. That is 2.4 goals per match, the lowest average ever in a CT edition.

Korea join Argentina in Medal Round

Korea and Argentina played out a 1-1 draw in the third match of the day here at the Wagener Stadium, a result which means that Korea joined the world champions as qualifiers for the medal round of the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy.  

Korea went into the match knowing that anything better than a 2-0 defeat would have put them through to Pool C ahead of England, and took a huge step to achieving that feat when Park Mi Hyun scored the opener midway through the first half. However, Argentina hit back in the second period thanks to a field goal from Daniela Sruoga to make sure that they took at least a point through to the next phase of the competition.

Argentina were on top for most of the first half, but were guilty of missing some golden scoring opportunities. Delfina Merino sent a shot over the crossbar from a penalty corner situation, while a surging run from Agustina Soledad Garcia caused chaos in the Korean circle before the ball struck a post and was cleared to safety.

With Argentina dominating both possession and chances it was easy to understand why most people expected the South Americans to take the lead, but Korea had other ideas and moved ahead through Park Mi Hyun. An explosive break forward down the right saw Park sprint past Noel Barrionuevo before entering the circle and crashing a reverse stick shot past stricken Argentinean keeper Belen Succi.

Las Leonas went in search of an immediate equalizer but missed another good chance when Carla Rebecchi’s shot was deflected just wide of the target by the stick of a Korean defender.  

Just before the break things went from bad to worse for Las Leonas when Mariela Scarone was shown a yellow card for a cynical challenge, earning her five minutes to cool off in the sin bin.  

Argentina regrouped at half time and came out fighting in the second period, but the Koreans were equal to the triple Champions Trophy holders and denied them at every opportunity.

Eventually though, the pressure began to tell when Korea conceded two penalty corners in quick succession. The first effort was comfortably blocked before Korea keeper Moon Young Hui denied the second the second by diving to her right to block Barrionuevo’s high flick.   

The equalizer came in the 57^th minute when a Garcia drilled a perfect pass from midfield through to the waiting Luciana Aymar, who nudged the ball past Moon before Sruoga applied the finishing touch.

Argentina had a late penalty corner to win the game, but Moon made a solid block from the strike of Barrionuevo to earn a draw for her team.

Review 11. Argentina vs Korea 1-1 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011

> Argentina and Korea both progress, taking today's 1-1 draw with them to Pool C.

> Argentina fail to win their first world level match since drawing 2-2 with Germany at the 2010 CT. They had won 13 successive matches ever since: 6 at CT and 7 at World Cup.

> Korea finish in the top 4 of a Champions Trophy tournament for the first time since 1997 when they finished fourth.

> Argentina have converted 1 of 13 penalty corners awarded so far at Amstelveen 2011, but did not convert any of their 5 pc’s today.

> Korea have been awarded 12 penalty corners so far, including 3 today, but are yet to convert.

Schulz downs Germany with late strike

Australia have recorded their first win of the tournament by defeating Germany 1-0 courtesy of a late penalty corner flick from Jodie Schulz in the second match of Day 3 at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy.

The goal was a long time in coming, arriving in the inside the final five minutes of the match to give Australia great confidence ahead of the remainder of the tournament. Sadly for the Hockeyroos, the strike will not be enough to put them in the medal rounds due to their inferior goal difference to Germany.

For Germany, their chances of reaching the medal rounds now depend on the final match of the day between The Netherlands and New Zealand. If New Zealand lose by more than one goal Germany will qualify for Pool C and subsequently keep alive their hopes of success in the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy.

Germany were dominant for much of the first half, having 67 % of possession in their opponents half.  The Hockeyroos were forced to defend three penalty corners in the first half, but were certainly not without their chances, winning three penalty corners of their own which were unsuccessful.

The Australians certainly had the better of the opportunities towards the end of the first half, with Germany keeper Yvonne Frank being called into action to keep the scores level going into the half time break.   

Australia came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, putting the Germany defence under strain but unable to find the shots on goal that they were looking for. At the other end, Hockeyroos keeper Rachael Lynch pulled off a brilliant save to deny a clever deflection from Marie Mävers before the Australians wasted another penalty corner opportunity.  

The first goal of the both the match and the day came inside the final five minutes when Australia finally made the most of a penalty corner opportunity. Jodie Schulz stepped up to the mark and sent a low flick towards goal, which despite the best efforts of Frank found its way into the bottom left corner.

Germany were the width of a post away from scoring an equalizer in the dying seconds of the game, but Australia held on for victory.  

Review 10. Australia vs Germany 1-0 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011

> Australia recorded their 9th CT win over Germany in 16 CT matches against them. Only the Netherlands have beaten Germany more often in CT competition, 11 defeats from 16 matches.

> Australia will finish outside the Top 4 for the third time in 18 Champions Trophy appearances. They also finished outside the top 4 at Amstelveen 2006 (5th) and Mönchengladbach 2008 (5th).

> Germany progress to Pool C if The Netherlands beat New Zealand by at least 2 goals later today.

> Australia’s penalty corner success rate at Amstelveen 2011 is now 1 for 16 (6%). They scored once from 6 PC’s awarded in this match.

> Australia scored once from 14 goal attempts today, including 12 shots on goal.

> Germany failed to convert any of their 3 PC’s today. Their PC success rate at Amstelveen has now gone down to 1 for 8 (12.5).

Zhang penalty save denies England victory over China

China goalkeeper Zhang Yimeng saved a penalty stroke from Helen Richardson in the last ten minutes of the game to deny England victory in their final Pool A match here in Amstelveen. The match finished scoreless, with the penalty stroke being by far the biggest opportunity of breaking the deadlock in a match that contained limited goal-scoring opportunities.

Although disappointed not to win the game, England still have a chance to reach the medal round although they are now relying on Argentina to defeat Korea by two clear goals in their meeting later today. China are now unable to qualify for the medal rounds.

“I’ve only taken three penalty strokes in my 12 year career” said England captain Helen Richardson in the post match press conference.  “I put it up in the high left corner but it was just a good save from the goal keeper.”

England made an excellent start to the early match here in Amstelveen. Laura Unsworth went close when she fired over the crossbar before a penalty corner chance went begging.  

It was a very positive start for Danny Kerry’s team, a China were soon creating opportunities for themselves in the form of penalty corners. A powerful drag-flick from Wang Mengyu was confidently beaten away by England goalkeeper Beth Storry in what was probably the Asian side’s best chance of the first period.  

There was very little between the two teams for most of the opening period, something that was perhaps expected from sides that are separated by just one place in the world rankings (China - 4^th / England - 5^th). The distinct lack of clear goal-scoring opportunities highlighted the cautious approach from both teams, but England almost found a way through in the dying moments of half when Alex Danson burst through and forced a save from Zhang.

The deadlock was almost broken five minutes from the break when England won a penalty corner courtesy of a smart referral to the video umpire, but the attempted deflection from Helen Richardson at the right post flew just wide of the target.

 China had a glorious chance to open the scoring five minutes into the second half when midfielder Song Qingling sent a defence-splitting pass through to Zhao Yudiao, but Beth Storry came off her line to deny the 2010 FIH Young Player of the Year a certain goal.

The side from Asia dominating the early stages of the second half, but Storry and her defenders held firm and worked themselves back into the game before heavy rain started to fall on the Wagener Stadium.

The biggest moment of the match arrived with seven minutes remaining in what was an incredible passage of play. England’s Alex Danson showed skill and persistence to battle her way into the circle before eventually cracking a shot towards goal only for her goal-bound effort to hit the body of a China player. Umpire Elena Eskina immediately awarded a penalty stroke for the infringement, but Zhang moved to her right to deny the high flick from Richardson to ensure that the points were shared.  

Review 9. England vs China 0-0 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011  
> China are out of medal competition, and now go on to play for rank 5-8.
> England only qualify for Pool C if Argentina beat Korea by at least 2 goals, later today.
> England negotiated their first goalless draw in Champions Trophy competition.
> For China this marked only their 2nd 0-0 CT match. Their fist came in 2001 against New Zealand.
> This was the first goalless match in CT competition since the 2009 CT final which saw Argentina beat Australia on penalty strokes.
> This was the first CT match in which China failed to score since a 0-1 defeat against The Netherlands in 2009.
> Helen Richardson (ENG) failed to convert the first penalty stroke awarded at the 2011 Champions Trophy.
> England’s penalty corner success rate at the 2011 CT is now 0 for 3.
> China are on 3 for 10 (30%) in terms of penalty corners

Watch the latest FREE Highlights

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Germany downed by Lammers cracker

Netherlands maintained their 100% winning record with a 2-1 victory of Germany, delighting the large number of fans here in the Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen. The result keeps them firmly at the top of Pool B, with the home favourites looking hot favourites to win the group with one game remaining.

The largely orange-clad crowd were treated to a thrilling start to the game when The Netherlands opened the scoring inside the first 25 seconds. Carlijn Welten worked her way into the circle from the left before seeing her attempted cross deflected into the goal by Germany defender Julia Müller. Welten will be credited with the score, but Müller’s touch was as close to an own goal that you will see in hockey.  

The last time that Germany conceded a goal in the first minute to the Netherlands resulted in an 8-1 loss, but Natascha Keller was keen to ensure that there would be no repeat of the 2005 Champions Trophy result. In the 10^th minute the veteran striker showed that she is still as sharp as ever when she pounced on a loose ball and smashed a powerful drive into the bottom corner of Joyce Sombroek’s goal to pull her team level.

It didn’t take long for The Netherlands to move ahead once again when Kim Lammers received the ball in acres of space and charged towards goal. Upon entering the circle she struck a ferocious shot into the bottom left corner which gave Barbara Vogel absolutely no chance of saving.

Lammers almost scored again five minutes from the break when Germany failed to deal with a cross into the circle, but the striker sent her snap shot fractionally wide of the target before Maartje Paumen wasted a penalty corner chance a couple of minutes later.

Germany came out fighting in the second half and won two penalty corners in quick succession, but the efforts on goal were no match for the athleticism of Dutch shot-stopper Sombroek. Germany’s keeper Vogel was soon in action herself, as Netherlands looked to put some clear water between themselves and their opponents. Marilyn Agliotti almost grabbed a third for the Dutch, but her rasping effort from the left crashed against the side of the goal.   

The Netherlands were forced onto the back foot for much of the last ten minutes, but Germany could not find the equaliser that they were looking for.

The result puts The Netherlands on six points in Pool B, three clear of second placed New Zealand who are just ahead of Germany having scored more goals. Australia are currently at the bottom of the Pool, but all this could change in the final round of matches on Tuesday.

Review 8. Germany vs Netherlands 1-2 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011 

> The Netherlands have now won their last 7 matches against Germany in major tournaments, since losing 2-0 in the 2007 Euro Nations Cup. The Dutch are also on a 7-match winning streak against China and Korea.
> The Dutch are the top ranked team in Pool B, but are not through to the next round yet as both Germany and New Zealand have a change of finishing on six points as well.
> Carlijn Welten (NED) scored after only 25 seconds of play. At the 2005 Champions Trophy Kim Lammers also scored a 1st minute goal for the Netherlands in their 8-1 win over Germany.
> Kim Lammers has now scored once in each of Holland’s last 5 international matches against Germany (2 test matches, 2 CT matches and 1 WC match).
> Welten became the first player to score in the first minute of a CT match since Toshie Tsukui (JPN) in 2007 against Spain (1-0).
> Natascha Keller is now on a career total of 15 FIELD goals in Champions Trophy competition. Only Nadine Ernsting-Krienke (GER, 19 FG) and Jackie Pereira (AUS, 16 FG) have scored more CT goals from open play.  Katrina Powell (AUS) also scored 15 field goals.

Las Leonas make light work of China

Argentina have won Pool A with a game to spare thanks to a superb 4-1 won over China in the second match of the day here at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy in Amstelveen. Noel Barrionuevo, Agustina Soledad Garcia,  Delfina Merino and Daniela Sruoga found the target as the World Champions simply overpowered and outclassed the Olympic Silver medallists. 

The win puts them onto six points, four clear of their nearest rival Korea with just one match remaining confirming them as winners of Pool A and qualifiers for Pool C.  

Argentina started the game without attacking star Carla Rebecchi, who was given time to recover from the ankle injury that she sustained in Saturday’s match against England. Despite that loss, Las Leonas started the game magnificently and won two penalty corners inside the first six minutes of the match. Drag flick star Noel Barrionuevo failed to test China keeper Zhang Yimeng on both occasions. However, that all changed when a third penalty corner was awarded in the 16th minute, which Barrionuevo slammed into the bottom left corner of the China goal.

Although Argentina had started the brighter of the two teams, China gave their opponents a number of big scares before they eventually drew level through a penalty corner of their own in the 20th minute. An early break from the line resulted in one Argentina defender being ordered to the halfway line, and China took full advantage when the unmarked Zhao Yudiao deflected home from close range.  

Argentina came close to restoring the lead shortly before the break when Agustina Soledad Garcia brilliantly weaved her way into the circle from the right before teeing up a chance for Maria Josefina Sruoga who sent here snap-shot just wide of the target.

The first half may have been closer than many had expected, but Argentina really turned on the style in the second period. Garcia established a 2-1 lead in the 43rd minute when she collected a pass from the right, drifted past China keeper Zhang and passed the ball into an empty net. China fell further behind seven minutes later when stunning pass from Aymar was forced home by Delfina Merino, before Daniela Sruoga took full advantage of some indecision by Zhang to score the fourth.

China rallied towards the end of the game but by that stage the result was never in doubt.  In the end it was a comfortable victory for the world champions, whose dream of winning a fourth successive Champions Trophy title is alive and kicking. 

Review  6. China vs Argentina 1-4 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011

> Argentina have qualified for Pool C by picking up their second win in Pool A at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy.
> Argentina go top in Pool A with 6 points from 2 matches, leading Korea (2 points), England (1) and China (1).
> Noel Barrionuevo scored her 20th CT penalty corner goal to become the outright top scorer for Argentina in Champions Trophy competition exceeding Alejandra Gulla’s total of 19 CT goals.
> Soledad Garcia equalled Gulla’s total of 19 CT goals.
> Barrionuevo needs only two more goals to equal all-time overall CT top scorer Nadine Ernsting-Krienke on 22 CT goals.
> Ma Yibo broke the Chinese record for most Champions Trophy matches played (55). She exceeded Li Shuang (54 CT matches, 2001-2010).
> All 3 of China’s goals at the 2011 Champions Trophy have come from penalty corners.
> China are now on 3 PC goals from 8 attempts at the 2011 Champions Trophy.
> China's Zhoa Yudiao scored her second PC goal of the tournament and China's third.
> China's Zhao Yudiao joins Rebecca Herbert (ENG) and Kim Da-Rae (KOR) at the top of the goalscorer list on 2 goals.
> China's Zhao Yudiao joins Rebecca Herbert (ENG) and Kim Da-Rae (KOR) at the top of the goalscorer list on 2 goals. 

Herbert strike rescues England despite late drama

England and Korea played out an entertaining and drama-filled 2-2 draw in the first match of Day Two here at the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy for women.

Beckie Herbert fired England into the lead in the 21st minute but two second half strikes from Kim da Rae gave Korea the advantage before Herbert levelled the scores seven minutes from time with a smart volley. Korea had a goal ruled out in the dying moments of the game when the video umpire was called into action, spotting that the ball had gone out of play just before Kim Jong Hee slammed her shot into the goal.

The result means temporarily moves Korea into second place in Pool A ahead of the meeting between Argentina and China, while England remain at the foot of the table on goal-difference.

The match itself was an entertaining encounter, with England exploding into life from the very first second. Danny Kerry’s team did not manage to win a single penalty corner in Saturday’s defeat against Argentina, but needed only 12 seconds to secure their first set piece opportunity in this contest, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

Korea were soon in on the action, winning a brace of penalty corners that brought good saves from Maddy Hinch, the 22-year-old goalkeeper who played in place of the rested Beth Storry.  

The opening goal was stated and finished by lively England forward Beckie Herbert who linked well with Hannah MacLeod before slapping the ball into the roof of the Korean goal.   

Korea pressed hard for an equaliser before half time, but England’s resolute defending from Crista Cullen and team captain Kate Walsh ensured that Hinch was rarely called into action.  However, the young keeper – who was making her first appearance in an international tournament – pulled of a superb save from a penalty corner at the end of the half, diving to her right to deflect the shot around the post to keep her team ahead at the break.

Korea hit back shortly after half time when Kim Da Rae tapped in from close range following a slick move down the right. Despite long spells of England possession, Korea looked a constant threat on the attack and overloaded the England defence on numerous occasions.  Kim Da Rae struck again with ten minutes of the match remaining, forcing the ball home from six metres as the England defence failed to clear their lines.

To their great credit, England did not panic and set about the task of finding an equaliser with great purpose. It arrived in the 63rd minute, when superb work from Ashleigh Ball and Helen Richardson caused chaos in the Korean circle before Herbert drilled home emphatically to restore parity.

The final two minutes were packed with drama, with Korea having a goal ruled out by the video umpire before Herbert almost completed her hat trick with a ferocious strike which brought the best out of Korean keeper Moon Young Hui. However, the scores stayed at 2-2, giving both teams an important point for the Pool A league table.

Review 5.England vs Korea 2-2 - Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011 

> This was the first CT match to see four field goals being scored since the Final 5-6 in 2009, when China beat England 7-0 scoring four field goals.
> Rebecca Herbert scored England's first two goals at the 2011 CT. Two years ago, at the 2009 CT, she scored goals against China and Argentina, so Herbert has now scored against all three of England's opponents in Pool A.
> Herbert is now on a total of 4 CT career goals which makes her England’s all-time top scorer in Champions Trophy competition.
> The British record for most CT goals is 6 by Karen Brown (GBR, 1987-1997).
> Kim Da-Rae became the first Korean player to score twice in a CT match since Kim Mi-Seon scored twice against England at the 2003 CT (2-1).
> Korea were awarded 4 PC’s in this match, but failed to convert. Their 2011 CT PC record is now 0 for 9.
> England were awarded their first PC at the 2011 CT in this match, but failed to convert.

Los shoot-out y Escocia dejan a España sin el bronce

La selección femenina ha concluido el Champions Challenge en cuarta posición después de caer ante Escocia en los penaltis shoot-out (5-6). El encuentro concluyó con empate a dos goles y la prórroga, la tercera consecutiva de la selección, derivó la definición del ganador a los shoot-out. El seleccionador Salva Induráin comenta que aún es pronto para sacar conclusiones sobre los aspectos positivos y los que necesitan mejorar, pero valora la actitud y el trabajo de sus jugadoras a dos meses del gran objetivo del año: el Europeo de Monchengladbach.

El encuentro por el bronce siguió la pauta de igualdad que ha presidido todo el torneo, y sólo los fogonazos de inspiración o los errores del rival permitieron desequilibrar por momentos el partido. Un robo en el centro del campo en el minuto 16 permitió a Holly Cram adelantar a las suyas. La reacción española no se hizo esperar y en la siguiente jugada Bárbara Malda devolvió la igualdad al marcador.

Las escocesas volvieron a adelantarse al poco de empezar la segunda parte con un gol de penalti-córner de Nikki Kidd que Pilu Sánchez contrarrestó cuatro minutos después en otro penalti-córner.

El empate se mantuvo hasta el final del partido, y ni siquiera la prórroga pudo evitar la tanda definitiva de penaltis shoot-out. España encadenó tres aciertos en sus tres primeros intentos (Raquel Huertas, Gigi Oliva (que sufrió una falta de la portera Walker) y Bárbara Malda) y se puso con un 3-2 a favor, pero los fallos de Rocío Ybarra y Gloria Comerma en los últimos dos intentos permitieron igualar a Escocia a pesar del acierto de María López de Eguilaz.

En la muerte súbita Huertas no pudo con Walker y las escocesas sentenciaron el encuentro con el 5-6 final.

La derrota deja a España sin un podio en el Challenge que “las jugadoras habían merecido”. El seleccionador Salva Induráin añade que “perder ayer contra Japón fue más triste” y afirma que hoy “no tiene nada que reprochar a sus jugadoras y sí felicitarlas por su gran trabajo y su entrega”.

“Contra Japón perdimos por errores propios. Hoy en cambio hemos sido muy regulares, el equipo ha jugado muy junto y han hecho méritos para conseguir una medalla. Es una pena irnos sin ella”.

A pesar de quedarse fuera del podio, Induráin valora la actuación de las suyas en el Challenge, su primera competición al frente del equipo femenino, y considera que los seis partidos con las tres prórrogas “suponen la máxima preparación posible que podíamos haber sacado en Dublín”.

“El equipo se ha ido haciendo más fuerte a medida que pasaban los partidos. Por supuesto hemos tenido algunas dificultades como la de poner en práctica nuestro sistema debido a la presión de los rivales, pero me quedo con la actitud, la unión y la implicación de todas las jugadoras”.

La recuperación del estado anímico, una de las preocupaciones principales de Induráin, ha quedado solventado por esa “unión del equipo” y porque las derrotas en semifinales o en este último partido “han sido en el tiempo añadido y, al igual que ganamos a Sudáfrica habiendo podido perder, contra Japón y Escocia perdimos habiendo podido ganar”.

El seleccionador femenino considera que aún es temprano para sacar conclusiones tanto positivas como negativas con vistas a las próximas concentraciones de la selección, pero sí se muestra satisfecho con la mejora en el penalti-córner, en el cual la selección ha conseguido un porcentaje de acierto en torno al 40%. “Hay que seguir trabajando, pero hemos conseguido subir en los porcentajes de acierto del penalti-córner ofensivo y defensivo”.

Sudáfrica concluyó quinta en el Challenge al derrotar a la anfitriona Irlanda por 2-1 e India evitó la última posición a costa de Azerbayán (3-1).

España: María López de Eguilaz, Rocío Ybarra, Silvia Muñoz, Pilu Sánchez, Marta Prat (defensas), Gloria Comerma, Julia Menéndez, Anabel Flores (medios), Olalla Piñero, Bárbara Malda y Berta Bonastre. –también jugaron-: Bea Pérez, Andrea Puig, Gigi Oliva, Raquel Huertas y María López.

Un gol de oro de Japón acaba con las opciones de España de ganar el Challenge (2-3)

Un gol de oro de penalti-córner ha acabado con las esperanzas de la selección femenina de optar a la victoria en el Champions Challege de Dublín, premiada con el ascenso al Trophy. La selección remontó el tanto inicial de las japonesas y acarició el triunfo hasta que un gol en los últimos compases del encuentro forzó una prórroga en la que las japonesas  acabaron imponiéndose.

A la selección le costó encontrar su juego y durante los primeros minutos se sintió incómoda sobre el campo, sometida a la presión de las japonesas y a sus veloces ofensivas, que acabaron por traducirse en un gol de Rika Komazawa, la cual empujó a gol un pase de la muerte.

El 1-0 dio paso a una lenta pero progresiva mejora en el juego español, que forzó dos penaltis-córner durante la primera mitad (a diferencia del encuentro contra Sudáfrica esta vez sin éxito) y que culminó mediada la segunda mitad, cuando una gran jugada individual de Berta Bonastre concluyó con un revés cruzado de la delantera española que se convirtió en el empate.

Tres minutos más tarde España forzó un doble penalti-córner y Rocío Ybarra lo envió a la red nipona culminando la remontada. La selección, bien plantada sobre el campo, parecía tener amarrado el partido hasta que cuatro tarjetas en los últimos catorce minutos (Puig, Pérez, Malda y Flores) dejaron al equipo en sucesivas inferioridades que llegaron a ser de hasta once contra nueve y que pasaron factura en la parte final, cuando de nuevo Komazawa superó a Isa Barguñó, quien poco antes había resistido un doble penalti-córner.

El último arreón de España en busca del tercero se quedó sin premio y, ya en la prórroga, las japonesas superaron a las españolas, lastradas por el desgaste de la prórroga ante Sudáfrica y por una preparación enfocada al Europeo.

En el tercer penalti-córner de las japonesas en la prórroga Ai Murukami anotó el 2-3 y dejó a España sin opciones de luchar por el oro. Mañana domingo cierra el Challenge ante Escocia, con la que se jugará el tercer puesto. Estados Unidos, que superó por 3-0 a Escocia, será el rival de Japón en la final.

En la lucha por evitar la últimas plazas, Sudáfrica superó por 2-0 a India e Irlanda hizo lo propio con Azerbayán (1-0). Sudafricanas e irlandesas jugarán por la quinta plaza mientras que hindúes y azerbayanas tratarán de evitar el octavo puesto.

España: Isa Barguñó, Rocío Ybarra, Silvia Muñoz, Pilu Sánchez, Marta Prat (defensas), Gloria Comerma, Julia Menéndez, Gigi Oliva (medios), Bea Pérez, Bárbara Malda y Berta Bonastre. –también jugaron-: Olalla Piñero, Anabel Flores Andrea Puig, Raquel Huertas y María López.

I campioni dell'Hockey ITALIANO 2010/11

E' online una edizione SPECIALE di TgHockey, con tutte le squadre campioni d'Italia (Indoor e Prato) 2010/11. 
Clicca sul video alla tua destra dello schermo o vai (con un doppio clic) sul canale FederHockey di YouTube.

Buona visione!

Follow England at the Champions Trophy

With England’s women making final preparation for their opening match of the Rabo FIH Champions Trophy in Amstelveen, against world champions Argentina on Saturday, here’s how you can follow their progress throughout the tournament.

Live Streaming & Online Highlights

Live coverage of the tournament will be streamed on Eurosport’s Eurosport Player, which is available at www.eurosportplayer.co.uk.* 

*There’s a small subscription fee payable. 

See the TV schedules here.

The BBC Sport website, www.bbc.co.uk/hockey, will have highlights packages of all of England’s matches. Why not bookmark the page to get there quickly?

A reminder of England’s matches....

Saturday 25 June - 11:30 local time - 10:30 BST - Pool A - Argentina v England

Sunday 26 June - 09:00 local time - 08:00 BST - Pool A - England v Korea

Tuesday 28 June - 11:00 local time - 10:00 BST - Pool A - England v China

Thursday 30 June - Crossover Matches - Pools C & D

Friday 1 July - Crossover Matches - Pool D

Saturday 2 July - Crossover Matches - Pool C

Sunday 3 July - Medal Matches/Classification Playoffs

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Match reports

Match reports from every England match will be published on the England Hockey Board website at www.englandhockey.co.uk/championstrophy.

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Social Media

Stay up to date with goings on and send us your comments and thoughts via ourFacebook page ‘Official England Hockey’. Discuss England’s performances with other hockey fans and vote for your player of the match there.

Via Twitter @EnglandHockey we’ll be posting goals and results and linking through to interesting Champions Trophy content or via the official Champions Trophy Twitter feed @cthockey.

Why not share your thoughts with us and the rest of the hockey world using the hashtag #cthockey