Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-Netherlands and Argentina men while Australia and Germany women claimed victories in the field hockey ties after beating their rivals at two different venues Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey Centre, London, and Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp Belgium in Pro Hockey Leagues competitions.Argentina beat New Zealand 4-2 on SO (2-2)The Black Sticks looked like a different team, playing with much more confidence. They earned their first penalty corner in the second quarter, Kane Russell’s powerful flick to the keeper’s left handing his side the lead.With just over five minutes left in the half, four-goal hero from their last encounter, Tomas Domene, dragged the ball into the bottom left of goal off an Argentinian penalty corner for the equaliser. But the lead didn’t last long after Sean Findlay received the ball in the circle and crossed it in for Hayden Phillips to tap in for the lead just ahead of the half-time break.Nicolas Della Torre then levelled the scores off a penalty corner in the third quarter. While New Zealand were awarded one final penalty corner with 10 seconds left on the clock, the shot went wide, taking the match to a shoot-out, which Los Leones edged 4-2.Netherlands beat Spain on SO 3-1 (2-2)An entertaining first quarter brought Spanish keeper Rafael Revilla into action on several occasions as the Dutch pushed for the opener. But it was the Spanish who eventually scored first in the second period. Borja Lacalle’s excellent run into the D, delivered the ball for Gerard Clapes to provide a beautiful finish and hand the Spanish the lead.With three minutes remaining in the half, Max de Bie hit the post. But teammate Thierry Brinkman made sure his side were on the scoresheet just a minute later, skillfully controlling the ball in front of goal and firing it in for the equaliser. Brinkman was back in scoring action in the third quarter after a defensive slip by the Spanish, his reserve stick shot beating the keeper and taking his side 2-1 ahead.But Spain levelled matters within the first two minutes of the final quarter, Marc Miralles scoring off a penalty corner. The teams remained deadlocked on 2-2, however, taking the match into a shoot-out which the Dutch won 3-1.Australia beat Belgium on SO 3-2 (1-1)Amy Lawton played the ball into space in the circle and a reaching Stephanie Kershaw provided the finish to take her side 1-0 up.After numerous opportunities to score, Belgium finally found the breakthrough off a penalty corner in the second quarter, Stephanie Vanden Borre firing it into the bottom right corner.After a breathless encounter, Australia were awarded a penalty stroke in the final five minutes of the match, but Claire Colwell didn’t get hold of it and Elena Sotgiu made an easy save. That meant the sides were deadlocked at 1-1 by the final hooter, taking the match into yet another shoot-out. After a see-saw series of attempts, the Aussies claimed the 3-2 win.Germany beat Great Britain 4-1Jette Fleschütz’s great solo effort led to the Germans doubling their lead just a few minutes later. A GB counterattack in the second quarter then saw Elena Rayer running three quarters of the length of the pitch to slot in a reserve stick strike and open the home team’s account.Viktoria Huse’s shot off a penalty corner hit the GB keeper’s foot as it popped up into goal for Germany’s third at the start of the second half.GB took off their keeper to push for more goals in the dying minutes of the match, but the Germans capitalised, Pauline Heinz slotting in their fourth from an acute angle to seal the 4-1 win.Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey Centre, London (GBR)Result: Men’s Match 55: Netherlands beat Spain on SO 3-1 (2-2)Player of the Game: Jasper Brinkman (NED)Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Alison Keogh (IRL), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL-video)Result: Women’s Match 55: Germany beat Great Britain 4-1Player of the Game: Jette Fleschütz (GER)Umpires: German Montes de Oca (ARG), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL), Alison Keogh (IRL-video)Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein - Antwerp (BEL)Result: Men’s Match 56: Argentina beat New Zealand 4-2 on SO (2-2)Player of the Game: Nicolas Keenan (ARG)Umpires: Coen van Bunge (NED), Xiaoying Liu (CHN), Martin Madden (SCO-video)Result: Women’s Match 56: Australia beat Belgium on SO 3-2 (1-1)Player of the Game: Amy Lawton (AUS)Umpires: Annelize Rostron (RSA), Michelle Meister (GER), Martin Madden (SCO-video)

Lausanne-Switzerland (Sports Bulletin Report):-The Dutch women had to dig deep to earn their 4-2 victory after a brave performance by China as FIH Hockey Pro League action continued in Eindhoven. Later in the evening, the Netherlands men did well to rally back from their worst ever home defeat a day earlier at the hands of Australia to beat India 3-2.(Women’s) Netherlands beat China (4-2)China found some attacking form at the start of the second quarter, however. An excellent penalty corner variation culminated in He Jiangxin deflecting in for a surprise 1-0 lead. But it took only 30 seconds for the Dutch to find the equaliser which was set up by Felice Albers down the right-hand side. The impressive Albers crossed the ball in for Pien Dicke to slot it in to get the home side back on level terms.The Chinese found their second goal in the third quarter. A loose pass out by a Dutch defender went straight to Zou Meirong on the edge of the D who then drilled it in from the right. But the Dutch were back in front by the end of the quarter after China conceded a penalty stroke, with Frédérique Matla finding the back of the net despite Ping going the right way.(Men’s) Netherlands beat India (3-2) Looking for redemption after their heavy loss to Australia a day earlier, the Netherlands were first to score. Sheldon Schouten hit an attacking ball into the circle which found its way through traffic to Duco Telgenkamp to tap it in from the back post.Ten minutes into the third quarter, a fantastic pass from Luke Dommershuijzen to a perfectly placed Boris Burkhardt gave the Dutchman plenty of time to blast it into goal.Another Dutch penalty corner was then saved, but from the ensuing play, Joep de Mol injected the ball back in for Tjep Hoedemakers to produce the faintest of touches and deflect in through the keeper’s legs for the home side to take a 3-1 advantage into the final break.Just 21 seconds into the final quarter a defensive error by the Dutch on their left flank saw Sujit turning over the ball. That allowed Lalit Upadhyay the opportunity to cross it to an unmarked Gurjant Singh who ran into the circle and hit a cracking reverse stick shot past the keeper’s left foot.There was plenty more action in the remaining minutes of the match but the score remained at 3-2, much to the relief of the home side.Result: Women’s Match 46Netherlands 4-2 ChinaPlayer of the Game: Felice Albers (NED)Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Sarah Wilson (SCO), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL-video)Result: Men’s Match 46Netherlands 3-2 IndiaPlayer of the Game: Joep de Mol (NED)Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Hannah Harrison (ENG), Laurine Delforge (BEL-video)

Camp to start on June 12 for the preparation of the Asian Champions Trophy Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has invited 45 players for training camp, which will get underway on June 12, at National Hockey Stadium Lahore aiming to gear up the national field hockey athletes for the forthcoming Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament that will be played from August 3 to 12, 2023 this year 2023 in Chennai, India.According to an official of PHF, on the recommendations of the National Selection Committee, the PHF has invited 45 lads to report to the manager Col (Retd) Umer Sabir joining camp along with team officials.Names of players:Goalkeepers (7):Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan (MPCL), Akmal Hussain (WAPDA), Ali Raza (Punjab), Mohammad Faizan Janjua (Customs), Waqar (WAPDA), Abdullah Sheikh (Sindh), Bilal Khan (Balochistan)Defenders (5):Arbaz Ahmad (MPCL), Mohammad Sufyan Khan (KPK), Mohammad Abdullah (MPCL), Aqeel Ahmed (WAPDA), Mohammad Bilal Aslam (Customs)          Midfielders (8):Junaid Manzoor (NBP), Ahtisham Aslam (MPCL), Mohammad Murtaza Yaqoob (WAPDA), Mohammad Baqir (Punjab), Arbaz Ayaz (Sindh), Mohammad Nadeem Khan (KPK), Mohammad Zain (Customs), Mohammad Ammad (Customs).Forwards (25):Rana Abdul Waheed (WAPDA), Mohammad Umar Bhutta (WAPDA), Afraz (MPCL), Abdul Hannan Shahid (WAPDA), Rooman (WAPDA), Mohammad Shahzaib Khan (Customs), Usama Bashir (PAF), Mohammad Imran (PAF), Arshad Liaqat (MPCL), Abdul Wahab (Sindh), Abdul Rehman (WAPDA), Zikriya Hayat (Navy), Ali Murtaza (Customs), Basharat Ali (Navy), Abdul Qayyum (Customs), Bilal Akram (Punjab), Mohammad Adnan (Sindh), Rana Suhail Riaz (Customs), Waqar Ali (MPCL), Shoaib Khan (KPK), Abdul Wajid (Balochistan), Saad Shafique (Punjab), Taimoor Javed Khan (Punjab), Syed Shahbaz Haider (Navy), Mohammad Arsalan (Punjab).Official Staff:Col (Retd) Umar Sabir (Manager), Olympian Mohammad Saqlain, Olympian Rehan Butt, Olympian Dilawar Hussain & International Abdul Haseem Khan (Coaches), Abdul Ghafoor (GK Coach), Mohammad Shahid (Physiotherapist). 

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The Netherlands women marked their return to international hockey with a dominant 4-0 victory against China as FIH Hockey Pro League action headed to Eindhoven, so extending their unbeaten record in the tournament so far. It was a night for the debutants in the Netherlands men’s team, three of them scoring in their team’s 4-1 victory over India.Netherlands beat China (4-0):China started stronger than they had in any of their matches at the mini-tournament in London, but conceding two early goals meant they never stood much of a chance against the world and Olympic champions.The first attacking move for the Dutch was initiated by Felice Albers who found Yibbi Jansen in the circle. Jansen then played it back for Albers to fire it in for the 1-0 lead. The Dutch were back on attack soon after with Luna Fokke crossing the ball in from the left side. In trying to stop the ball, Tan Jinzhuang only succeeded in turning it into her own goal to double the Dutch lead.China had their best chance of the game in the second quarter when Zou Meirong found herself one-on-one with Anne Veenendaal. But her scooped effort over the keeper’s head went wide of goal and the score remained 2-0 to the Netherlands at half time.China earned their first penalty corner of the match soon after, but the resulting shot hit the crossbar. The Dutch then went on the counterattack and a goalmouth scramble ended with Chinese keeper Liu Ping backhanding the ball in with her glove, the goal credited to the Netherlands’ Joosje Burg.Netherlands beat India (4-1):India were first to make an impression on the scoresheet when a shot from their second penalty corner hit the Dutch first wave on the shin and they were awarded a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet Singh powered it into the bottom left for a 1-0 lead.That lead lasted until the first break. But the Netherlands found the equaliser at the start of the second quarter when Joep de Mol threw an overhead across the circle to Pepijn Reyenga making it difficult for the Indian defence to prevent the 21-year-old from drilling it in for his first international goal.The Netherlands were awarded a penalty corner with five minutes left in the third quarter. An exquisite drag flick from another debutant, Boris Burkhardt, into the top left of goal took the score to 2-1.Less than a minute later the Netherlands took a quick free hit after turning over possession near the halfway line. Reyenga took the ball into the circle and found Bijen Koen on the baseline who played it across the goalmouth where the Indian defence failed to clear and it fell for yet another debutant, Duco Telgenkamp, to flick it in from the back post.There was more to come from the Dutch, a solo reverse stick effort from Telgenkamp once again finding the back of the net. India had the chance to get one back when they were awarded another penalty stroke in the dying seconds, but Pirmin Blaak made the save to seal the 4-1 victory.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-India overcame Great Britain 4-2 on a penalty shoot-out after playing a 4-4 draw regular time of 60 minutes. Later in the day, the Belgian women continued their journey on a royal road in the mini-tournament, claiming a comfortable 3-1 victory over China.India beat Great Britain 4-4 (SO: 4-2) India got the first penalty corner and Captain Harmanpreet Singh made the most of it, dragging it into the left corner to take the lead 1-0 in a vital encounter, as the opposite side responded almost immediately, earning a penalty corner just 25 seconds later. Sam Ward’s drag flick caught a small deflection off the edge of Amit Rohidas’s stick for the equaliser.With just over five minutes to go in the third quarter, Ward made sure that GB stayed in touch with his 100th international goal. This time, Pathak just couldn’t get enough stick on Ward’s strike from the penalty corner. An action-packed final quarter saw Ward completing his hat-trick with a field goal, so finding the equaliser for GB at 3-3. India then regained the lead five minutes later, Dilpreet Singh, Vivek Prasad and Abishek combining to put their team in front. But another beautiful strike from Ward for his first four-goal haul in GB colours took the match to a shootout. Rupert Shipperley and Phil Roper missed their chances while the Indians slotted in all of theirs to take the 4-2 win.Belgium beat China women (3-1):Belgium took the lead in the first quarter when Charlotte Engelbert’s dink into the circle on the reverse was fired into the bottom left corner by Justine Rasir. The Belgians doubled that lead in the second quarter. Having turned it over on the 23, Barbara Nelen drove it into the circle for a well-taken strike by Emily White.Belgium still held that 2-0 lead heading into the half-time break but knew not to take anything for granted after seeing the Chinese fighting their way back from 3-1 down and pushing GB all the way a day earlier.But a great comeback was not on the cards for the Chinese. The first time Belgian goalkeeper Elodie Picard was brought into action was towards the end of the third quarter, but she was up to the task to keep Zou Meirong’s shot out of goal. A much better final quarter from China saw them playing themselves back into the game. The ball was recycled off a good penalty corner variation and fell to Liu Chencheng who drilled it in to halve the deficit.After the goal, China immediately pulled off their keeper to push for an equaliser with an extra player. But it cost them when they conceded a penalty corner soon after and none of the defenders could stop Stephanie Vanden Borre’s drag into the top of the goal to seal the 3-1 win.

Sports Bulletin ReportSalalah (Oman):-India beat Pakistan 2-1 to win the title of the Juniors Asia Hockey Cup 2023 here at Youth Sports Complex Oman on Thursday night. At the half stage, Indian were leading 2-0.Pakistan Squad:Mohammad Abdullah (captain), Abdul Hanan Shahid (vice-captain), Ali Raza, Mohammad Faizan Janjua, Aqeel Ahmed, Arbaaz Ahmed, Ehtsham Aslam, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Arbaz Ayaz, Mohammad Murtaza Yaqub, Arshad Liaquat, Ali Murtaza, Zakaria Hayat, Abdul Rehman, Abdul Qayyum. Dogar, Abdul Wahab, Basharat Ali, Bilal AkramIndia Squad:Mohith H S, Himwaan Sihag (goalkeepers), Shardanand Tiwari, Rohit, Amandeep Lakra, Amir Ali, Yogember Rawat (defenders), Vishnukant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Poovanna C B, Amandeep, Sunit Lakra (midfielders), Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Aditya Lalage, Uttam Singh, Sudeep Chirmako, Angad Bir Singh (forwards) 

Islamabad Tigers to meet Kurri Islamabad in the opening fixture in an eight team’s fixtureAbdul Jabbar FaisalRAWALPINDI:-The Shuhada-e-Pakistan Hockey Tournament will get underway from June 9 to 26, 2023 here at Shahnaz Sheikh Hockey Stadium, as this will be a joint adventure of District Hockey Association Rawalpindi (DHAR) and Sports Department Rawalpindi.According to an official DHAR, as many as 8 teams from twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad will participate in the tournament and will be divided into two groups. Islamabad Tigers, Kurri Islamabad, Faisal Islamabad, and Nishter Islamabad clubs are in Group A while ABL Rawalpindi, Zakir Hockey Academy, Shadman Club, and Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) Hockey Academy are in Group B.The opening match of the tournament will be played between Islamabad Tigers and Kurri Islamabad on June 9, 2023 while Faisal Club will meet Nishter Club in the second fixture of the day. The final will be played on June 25 at the same venue. All arrangements have been given the final touches to organize the tournament in a beneficial manner.Schedule: (First match 4:00 pm, Second match 5:30 pm)June 9, 2023 (Friday): Islamabad Tigers vs Kurri Islamabad, Faisal Club vs Nishter ClubJune 10, 2023 (Saturday): Shadman Club vs POF Academy, ABL Rawalpindi vs Zakir AcademyJune 11, 2023 (Sunday): Islamabad Tigers vs Faisal Club, Nishter vs Kurri IslamabadJune 16, 2023 (Friday): ARL Rawalpindi vs POF Academy, Zakir Academy vs Shadman ClubJune 17, 2023 (Saturday): Nishter Club vs Islamabad Tigers, Faisal Club vs Kurri IslamabadJune 18, 2023 (Sunday): POF Academy vs Zakir Academy, Shadman Club vs ARL RawalpindiJune 23, 2023 (Friday): First Semifinal (Top Team Pool A vs Second Team Pool B)June 24, 2023 (Saturday): Second Semifinal (Top Team Pool B vs Second Team Pool A)June 25, 2023 (Sunday): Final (Winners of both semifinals)

Pakistan to meet India in final on Thursday, Abdul Rehman names Player of the MatchSports Bulletin ReportSalalah (Oman):-Pakistan outclassed Malaysia 6-2 in the second semifinal of the Junior Asia Hockey Cup and set their clash with traditional foes India in the final, as in the first semifinal India defeated South Korea 9-1 at Youth Complex Salalah Oman on Wednesday. The final will be played between Pakistan and India on Thursday at the same venue, as both teams were balanced 1-1 in their pool match a few days back. Despite of this that going down 0-1, Pakistan players displayed top quality game to overcome heavyweights Malaysia in the second semifinal. The first goal for Pakistan was scored by Mohammad Sufyan Khan in the 42nd minute of the game while Abdul Rahman scored the second goal in the 44th minute. Abdul Hanan Shahid scored third in the 47th minute while Abdul Rahman struck 4th goal in the 48th minute. Abdul Rahman completed the hat trick by scoring 5th goal in the 51st minute.Arbaaz Ahmed in the 58th minute made the score-line 6-2 till the final whistle. Danish and Prabhu scored goals for Malaysia. Abdul Rahman was declared the player of the match. The final of the event will be played between Pakistan and India on June 1, 2023.

Green Shirts outplay Japan in the last Pool match 3-2, Abdul Wahab scores 2 goalsSports Bulletin ReportSalalah (Oman):-Pakistan cruised into the semifinal of the Asian Juniors Hockey Cup 2023 after beating Japan 3-2 in their last pool match at Salalah Oman on Monday. Abdul Wahab netted the ball twice and got the Man of the Match award.Arbad scored the first goal for Pakistan in the 23rd minute of the match. He directed the ball to the goalpost on a penalty corner. Abdul Wahab was the hero of the match, who scored two goals for his team in the 30th, and 39th minutes of the thriller contest to confirm Pakistan’s berth in the top-four stage of the regional hockey fixture of junior players.

Belgian women make a return with a 3-1 win over ChinaSports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-Great Britain’s 4-2 win over India’s men in an entertaining encounter took the hosts to the top of the Pro League table. In the women’s match of the day, Belgium enjoyed a return to international competition for the first time in six months with a 3-1 victory over China. (Men’s) Great Britain vs India 4-2It was GB who exerted the early pressure, creating plenty of scoring opportunities. Some individual excellence from Tim Nurse got the home side on the scoreboard – the 22-year-old working his way into the circle and then lifting it into the net for his first senior international goal.India earned the first penalty corner of the match and, as he has done so often in the Pro League, captain Harmanpreet Singh took care of business, a powerful drag flick producing the equaliser just before the end of the first quarter. An action-packed second period included a disallowed goal for India and a penalty stroke for GB which was saved by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to ensure the teams went into the halftime break at 1-1.GB were awarded their first penalty corner at the start of the second half. Nicholas Bandurak’s initial shot was saved, but the ball popped out to Tom Sorsby on the penalty spot who bunted it in for his first senior international goal and the 2-1 lead.Some individual brilliance from Lee Morton produced GB’s third goal of the match soon after. The Scotsman worked his way into the circle and fired it in from an acute angle.Harmanpreet was on target again for India at the end of the third quarter with another powerful drag off a penalty corner. That took him to the top of the all-time Pro League scorers list with 35 goals. With just over six minutes to go in the match, GB were back on the attack. James Oates’ shot from open play was saved, but goalkeeper Sreejesh gloved it straight to Bandurak who spectacularly swatted it in for the 4-2 victory.(Women’s) Belgium vs China 3-1The Belgians opened the scoring off their second penalty corner of the match. Vanessa Blockmans’ shot was not particularly powerful but still managed to beat Chinese goalkeeper Jiao Ye, travelling through her legs and into the goal to hand the Belgians the lead. That was a first senior international goal for the 20-year-old.There was another first senior goal in Belgian colours, this time for Emily White. Blockmans’ shot from a penalty corner was saved but White picked up the ball on the edge of the D and fired it in, catching the edge of the keeper’s stick on its way. White was taken down in the circle a few minutes later resulting in a penalty stroke for Belgium, but Stephanie Vanden Borre’s shot went wide of goal.Hong Li then came close to finding China’s opener at the end of the half. But after beating the Belgian defence, her shot hit the post and the score remained 2-0 at halftime.Michelle Struijk’s heavy tackle on Ying Zhang saw China awarded a penalty stroke with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Bingfeng Gu made no mistake in finding the back of the net to close the gap to 2-1.The Belgians restored their two-goal lead at the start of the final period, however. Camille Belis’s pass found Louise Versavel in front of goal and she slotted it in to seal the 3-1 victory.