Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne (Switzerland):-The Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 event is the first official senior World Hockey5s competition to be organised by FIH and it builds on the success of Hockey5s events that have been taking place across the world, including the Youth Olympic Games events in Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018. Taking place in the centre of the Olympic Capital Lausanne on June 4-5, Hockey5s Lausanne 2022 will be two days of hockey action, fun and entertainment. The hockey action will see the men’s teams of India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland and Switzerland compete in a round robin style tournament, with a final between the two top teams. South African coach Tsoanelo Pholo said: ‘Hockey5s is an initiator into hockey, a developer into the full-field version. If you have a Hockey5s court in three or four places in the country, I am telling you now, we are going to have way more hockey players in developing countries.’ Swiss athlete Sae Fontana said: ‘As early adopters of Hockey5s, we want to gain a competitive advantage, to get better rapidly, as a small country. Hockey5s is a fast game which makes it intense for the players.’ There will be some superstars, both established and up and coming, showing their skills at the Place de la Navigation, near Lake Geneva. Pakistan men led the way in the sport throughout the 20th century and it is exciting to see what this young team can do in a new format of the game. The speed and intensity will suit the super close skills of the Pakistan team. Both Poland and Switzerland men’s teams will be looking to transfer some of the skills and tactics of the indoor game onto the court in Lausanne. Poland is a specialist when it comes to the short form of the game and Switzerland, led by Sebastian Schneider, will have the advantage of a home crowd.

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne (Switzerland):-An always the highly-anticipated match up between the Netherlands women and Argentina did not disappoint. A penalty corner goal from each side sent the game to a shootout. The brilliant Dutch scored four straight and thanks to two saves from keeper Josine Koning the Netherlands earned the bonus point. Over in London, the hosts, England, powered their way to a 3-1 win over the always tenacious Spanish side. Netherlands beat Argentina 1-1 (4-2) (women) – HC Union, Nijmegen (NED) As expected, it was an energetic match from start to finish between the Netherlands and Argentina. There were plenty of penalty corner chances on both sides, while stellar goalkeeping and stingy defence made chances of a field goal a stiff feat. Penalty corner finishes from Dutch flicker Frédérique Matla and Argentina’s ace deflector Maria Granatto left the game level 1-1. Four-straight shootout finishes and two saves from the Netherlands secured the home team the extra point. In the opening quarter Argentina had a pair of penalty corner chances. Agustina Gorzelany, the league’s current top goal scorer, ricocheted a rocket flick off the cross bar forcing the Dutch to scramble to clear the ball. Lidewij Welten expertly ran down Gorzelany’s second attempt minutes later and the teams settled for a scoreless quarter. Frédérique Matla showed great composure in the circle in the 29th minute to find the foot of Argentine defender Victoria Sauze. Matla was the beneficiary of her own hard work as her drag flick beat Belen Succi stick side to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead heading into half time. The Leonas continued to hunt down a response despite lots of opportunity in the Netherlands circle. A back-hand cross from Agustina Albertarrio appeared to beat Josine Koning in the Dutch goal but Maria Granatto couldn’t get the finishing touch. Quality defence kept both teams off the scoresheet in the third quarter. Argentina finally found their equalizer in the final minutes of the game. A textbook finish on a penalty corner delivery from Gorzelany found the stick of Maria Granatto for an expert deflection to draw the game 1-1. Agustina Albertarrio forced a penalty corner with 55 seconds to go but Gorzelany’s flick was brilliantly steered away by Netherlands post-player Sanne Koolen. In the shootout, Netherlands keeper Koning steered Victoria Granatto wide for the opening shot and from there the Dutch went four-for-four to secure the extra point. Matla’s spin, Yibbi Jansen’s patient back-hand, Kyra Fortuin’s flick and Xan deWaard’s calm finish were enough to overcome the skilled Leonas. Argentina did notch finishes from Albertarrio on the back-hand and Gorzelany on a penalty stroke after Trinchinetti’s attempt but the Leonas were left to settle for the single point. England beat South Africa (men) 4-2 at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London England came out with a solid 4-2 victory over the always-unpredictable South African side who rallied for two fourth-quarter goals. The opening quarter saw skipper David Condon unmarked at the top of the circle but his high shot blasted wide of the South African cage. Then, the right foot of keeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu denied a low Sam Ward flick booked for the corner. In the 10th minute Nick Bandurak put away a penalty corner flick with power and precision, beating Nolutshungu glove side just above the back board. A solid second quarter from England gave the home side a 3-0 edge by half time. Bandurak scored his second of the game in the 19th minute as his flick ricocheted off defender Jesthro Eustice to make it 2-0. South African keeper Gowan Jones denied Ward on yet another penalty corner flick but a low drag flick from Christopher Griffiths gave England their third penalty corner goal. It was nearly 4-0 as Condon had a goal disallowed and then Jones denied Condon on a one-timer from close range. England did find their fourth goal as Griffiths fed a perfectly weighted ball into the South African circle. A full sprawled Ward beautifully deflected the ball up and over Jones to make it 4-0 for England. Despite the England scoring showcase, South Africa are never to be counted out. A superb 3D skill performance on the baseline from Bradley Sherwood gave South Africa a penalty corner late in the fourth. Ace flicker Matthew Guise-Brown unleashed a deceptive shot down the middle to break James Mazarelo’s chance at a shutout. South Africa capitalized on the momentum shift when Keenan Horne weathered a tough challenge from English defender Timothy Nurse and blasted a shot far post to give the visitors their second goal. A yellow card to Sherwood in the 55th minute made it tough for South Africa to salvage the full comeback. England beat Spain (women) 3-1 at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London The England women earned three points over Spain in a 3-1 victory at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. England proved to be in control through the majority of the game but Spain did have several quality chances to get back in to it. Giselle Ansley opened the scoring in the 22nd minute off a low penalty corner flick that deflected in off the foot of Spain post player Xantal Gine. Before half time England doubled their lead. A well-worked free hit allowed a quick release from Flora Peel into the circle. The ball found the stick of Holly Hunt, who was jumped on by the Spanish defence, but fantastic advantage from Scottish umpire Sarah Wilson allowed play to continue. A calm, cool Lily Owsley drew around the sliding pads of Jana Martínez to make it 2-0 for England. Spain’s Xantal Gine blasted a shot off a penalty corner in the 41th minute to bring Spain within one. It was a sigh of relief for coach Adrian Lock who had watched his team fall short on earlier penalty corners. Despite their hard work Spain couldn’t keep England at bay for long and five minutes later Grace Balsdon released a penalty corner flick that went off the toe of keeper Melanie Garcia to make it 3-1. Spain nearly closed the lead when a ball from Beatriz Perez into the English circle popped up for Begoña Garcia to deflect down. The ball rolled past the open goal line for Florencia Amundson, who was tangled amongst two defenders, and couldn’t put it in. With Spain pulling their keeper in the final moments, Sophie Hamilton shot one wide of the empty cage but the damage had already been done. England celebrated the three points and the recovery after a pair of losses to China a week ago at the same venue.  Belgium beat France (men) 2-1 at Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp It was a game of penalty corner finishes as Belgium buried two in the game to France’s one to take the first three points of the double-header weekend. It was a level opening quarter as both teams had to weather periods of frantic defence. Belgium did have a lot of territory and possession but were unable to really test French keeper Arthur Thieffry. France’s Etienne Tynevez had the most quality attempt at goal but his back-hand was challenged well by a sliding Loic van Doren, in goal for Belgium. Tom Boon thought he might be the one to provide the opening goal heroics but he didn’t get his usual power behind the shot and the out-stretched toe of Thieffry steered the ball wide. France’s stingy defence was put to work and it was not until the 24th minute that Belgium broke the deadlock. A penalty corner finish from Tanguy Cosyns flew off the glove of Thieffry and under the crossbar to make it 1-0 for Belgium heading into halftime. Belgium found their game-winner on a penalty corner rebound. Tom Boon’s flick went straight down the pipe and the rebound came back to the top. Cedric Charlier made no mistake burying a rocket back-hander to make it 2-0. France were able to find a consolation goal in the final seconds of the game as Victor Charlet made his penalty corner drag look easy, finding the bottom corner glove side and breaking van Doren’s shutout.

Raja Shafik ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s hopes to enter the super four stage of Asia Hockey Cup 2022 and qualify for the 2023 Hockey World Cup suffered a big blow as they conceded a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Japan in a closely-fought Pool A match at the GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday. According to information made available here by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Japan, who earlier on Tuesday stunned defending champions India 5-2, scored two goals in the first quarter to put Pakistan under pressure. Pakistan made a strong comeback in the second quarter when in the 23rd minute Ijaz Ahmed scored a scintillating field goal. But four minutes later Japan scored the third goal. Pakistan found another breakthrough in the 30th minute, thanks to a well-converted penalty corner by Mubashir Ali. By the end of the match, both teams failed to score any more goals. Pakistan, who scored a last-minute goal to draw 1-1 against India in their tournament opener, registered a thumping 13-0 win against hosts Indonesia on Tuesday. But despite that, they finished at number three as India claimed second spot on the points table after thrashing Indonesia 16-0 in their last pool game. That means Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia have sealed the FIH World Cup 2023 berths. India has qualified as hosts and Pakistan are out of the race. The Asia Cup served as a World Cup qualifier. (Thanks to APP)

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland: All 16 qualified teams line-up has been completed for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, India. At the Hero Asia Cup, which is currently taking place in Jakarta, a thrilling match between Japan and Pakistan, which ended 3-2 in Japan’s favour, meant Japan joined Malaysia and Korea as the three teams to qualify for the World Cup. As the host nation, India had already qualified. At the continental showpiece event, India, Japan, Malaysia and Korea have all won through to the top four of the competition, with the Super4s finals taking place over the weekend to decide the overall winner of the event. The other two teams making up the participating nations are the top ranked teams in Oceania, New Zealand and Australia. Full list of participating nations: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Wales.

Sports Bulletin Report Jakarta (Indonesia):-Pakistan outclassed hosts Indonesia 13-0 in their second match of the ongoing Asia Hockey Cup here in the capital city of Indonesia on Tuesday. Pakistan and India had locked the horns 1-1 in the opening match on Monday at the same pitch. Pakistan showed excellent play in the second match of the schedule and easily defeated Indonesia by 13-0. Ijaz Ahmed scored the first goal in the second minute while the second field goal was scored by Rana Waheed in the fourth minute. Abdul Manan netted the ball in the sixth minute while the fifth goal was scored by Mubashir Ali with the help of short corner. Rana Abdul Waheed scored the 7th field goal in the 19th minute. Also, Abdul Manan pushed the ball in the goal-post in the 19th minute. Rizwan Ali scored the 9th goal in the 25th minute with the help of short corner, Ghazanfar Ali scored the 10th field goal in the 35th minute. The 11th goal was scored by Rizwan Ali in the 43rd minute with the help of a short corner, the 12th field goal was scored by Moin Shakeel in the 45th minute and the 13th field goal was scored by Ijaz Ahmed in the 49th minute. Rana Waheed was declared the best player of the match. According to the Asia Hockey Cup schedule, the event teams were divided into two pools. Pool A includes India, Japan, Pakistan and Indonesia while Pool B includes Malaysia, Korea, Oman and Bangladesh. Pakistan will play its third match against Japan on May 26.

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland: After the six-goal thriller the previous day, Spain and France men's side confounded spectators and each other with an equally fast-paced match but with only one goal to show for their efforts. It took until the final moments of the game for Red Sticks' Joaquin Menini to finally find a way past the excellent Arthur Thieffry in the French goal. Argentina women continued winning ways, making it 10 wins from 10 matches after a second 3-1 victory over China. The FIH Pro League leaders were made to work for their win after China took the lead through a Gu Bingfeng penalty corner strike. Spain beat France (men) 1-0 The host nation were the dominant force in this second match between Spain and France but, despite 31 circle entries, 12 shots and six penalty corner attempts, it was a sole, scrambled goal in the dying seconds of the match that finally separated the teams and gave Spain their third win of this season’s Pro League. The opening quarter saw both teams continue at the same high pace they had employed in the previous day’s encounter. While both sides created chances, there was no breakthrough for either team. Spain had the greater share of possession and won a series of four penalty corners but the French defence, led by goalkeeper Arthur Thieffry, stood strong. The second quarter followed much the same traits. There were a lot of fast, direct attacking runs by both teams but these were met by well-structured defensive units. Spain again were the marginally better team but there was really very little to choose between the sides. At the half-time break, Max Caldas called for his team to up the ante, and play faster but simple hockey. His counterpart, the French Head Coach Fred Soyez said he was relatively pleased with the way his team were performing, particularly with the way they were soaking up the pressure from Spain. Despite an even higher playing tempo and a number of penalty corners, particularly in the case of Spain, the goals remained elusive. Arthur Thieffry was in fine form in the French goal but Spain’s lack of variation at penalty corners did make the task somewhat easier. Andreas Rafi almost carved out a solo goal but again Thieffry was there to halt his progress. The match had all the makings of a draw but, as so often happens when Spain are on the pitch, there was late drama. The ball was played into the French circle and despite the best efforts of Thieffry to clear it, the final touch came from Joaquin Menini, who scrambled the ball over the line to give his team the lead. Argentina beat China 3-1 (women)   As in the first encounter between these two teams, it was a goalless first quarter. At this point however, all comparison ceases as China played with far more intent and attacking force than the previous day, asking many questions of their higher ranked opposition. At the end of 15 minutes, the two teams had both had penalty corner attempts and the game was expansive, unlike the previous encounter when China had set up a half court press and sat behind it. It was four minutes into the second quarter when China’s attacking ambitions paid dividends. Gu Bingfeng stepped up to send home a fantastic drag flick to give her side the lead. Where the Asian side could have then been forgiven if they had sat back to defend the lead, they instead continued to play attacking hockey that both challenged Argentina and asked more questions of them. The scores were levelled in the third quarter through a neat piece of work from Julieta Jankunas. The striker latched onto a perfectly placed pass from Maria Granatto and the ball flew between the goalkeeper Lui Ping and the post. China nearly took the lead again when a superb aerial pass from midfield was picked up in the Argentina circle but Argentina’s Clara Barbieri was on hand to smother that and save the subsequent penalty corner strike. Argentina finally found their groove and put together some impressive passing patterns to put China on the back foot. In the fourth quarter, Agustina Gorzelany stepped up to send home a penalty corner and then Eugenia Trincihnetti was on hand to touch home a jinking pass from Maria Granatto. Although the 3-1 scoreline is a repeat of the first match between the two sides, new Head Coach Alyson Annan will be pleased by the improvements all over the pitch that China has made from one game to the next.

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland: Spain and France men played out an exciting and end-to-end match with the win going to the home side after they drew ahead in the final quarter. In the women's match, China took to the field under the guidance of new Head Coach Alyson Annan and for the first time in the FIH Pro League since 1 February. Argentina continued their unstoppable winning streak as Victoria Granatto showed that class is a trait running through the Granatto family. Spain beat France (men) 4-2 The Spanish men’s team took to the field in front of a vocal and enthusiastic crowd in the Estadio Betero in Valencia. Spain took an early lead when Alejandro Alonso fired a penalty corner straight past Arthur Thieffry in the French goal. Aside from that goal, the first 15 minutes was evenly matched with both teams playing expansive, fast-paced hockey. Alejandro Davila had a chance to make it 2-0 but his shot was off-balance and easily saved. In a mirror image of the first quarter, France scored early to bring the goal tally level. Corentin Sellier won the team in blue a penalty corner and Victor Charlet stepped up to fire home an absolute rocket into the top corner of Mario Garin’s goal. Alejandro Davila scored Spain’s second goal in the 22nd minute when he pounced on the ball as it  bobbled temptingly in front of the French goal. The shot was created after a sustained spell of Spanish pressure. It was the first senior goal for a delighted Davila. Seconds later Antonio Sanz almost made it three when he ran into the circle and fired high. Thieffry made the save look relatively easy but the Spanish players were signalling their intent. If Spain had intent, France had resolve and just before half-time, Gaspard Baumgarten fired a shot from the top of the circle. The unexpected nature of the shot, plus the ferocity meant that Garin could only watch it fly past him into the goal to make it 2-2. The third quarter was goalless as both teams sought a way through the opposing defence. While the goals may not have been forthcoming, there was no let up in tempo and both teams created several attacks but both Thieffry and Adrian Rafi in the Spanish goal were up to the challenge. The breakthrough came in the 52nd minute of the fourth quarter. France had been pushing for a goal and Victor Charlet had rattled the Spanish crossbar with another penalty corner strike. This near miss galvanised the Spanish and they raced to the other end of the pitch. Alejandro Alonso’s shot was stopped on the line by a foot and Marc Miralles stepped up to put the penalty stroke home competently. At this set-back, France removed their goalkeeper and went all out for the equaliser. The plan backfired when Marc Recasens was able to break through the French defence and score into an empty net. The Player of the Match award went to Alejandro Davila who scored Spain’s second goal on just his fourth appearance for the senior team. He spoke after the match about the incredible work rate his team had shown to secure their second win of the FIH Pro League season. Argentina beat China 3-1 (women) A goalless first half was a clear indication of the way that China were approaching the game. A defensive half-court press meant that Argentina were posed the challenge of how to get past the tight defence and into the circle to create scoring opportunities. Despite two penalty corners and a lot of possession in the opening quarter, Argentina were unable to make inroads and Lui Ping in the China goal was not pressured too much. The second quarter saw China coming out of the half a little more as they set their press further up the pitch and put the Argentina defence under some pressure. However, it was Argentina who took the lead. A foul in the circle on Valentina Costa led to a penalty stroke, which Agustina Gorzelany duly dispatched. The second half saw Argentina extending their lead, not with their usual panache but through sheer hard graft. The second goal came from a passing move that saw Rocio Sanchez pass to Player of the Match Victoria Granatto. She slipped the ball to Agustina Albertarrio, who slotted it home. The third goal came purely from the skill and determination of Victoria Granatto. She picked up the ball and tore through the Chinese defence before pushing it past the ‘keeper. China scored a consolation goal, the first conceded by Las Leonas since they played the USA in April. The scorer was Chen Ling, playing just her fifth game for the national team. Player of the Match was unsurprisingly Victoria Granatto. She said: 'When we start the game, we think of doing everything right and following the plan. Every game we are going step by step. We did a good press and we ran for every ball. Every player just thinks; 'run, run and run.'

Sports Bulletin Report Lausanne, Switzerland:- ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’, the first-ever senior World Hockey5s event organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), will take place in less than one month, on 4 and 5 June 2022, in Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition to a thrilling competition on the field of play with some of the powerhouses of international hockey (Women: Switzerland, India, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay; Men: Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Poland), the event also aims at enabling everyone to discover and practice the sport, with an initiation offered to the public throughout both days! Furthermore, a DJ music programme will entertain fans during the whole event. And since hockey is a big family, even the players of the flagship ice hockey club of the Vaud city - the Lausanne Hockey Club (LHC) - will be there and will come to compete for an exhibition match at a local and international selection of (field) hockey players! Hockey5s is played with 5 athletes per team. It is particularly known for its non-stop action, since the ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to perimeter boards placed against the outside of the side-lines and back-lines. There are usually more goals with Hockey5s than with the more traditional 11-a-side format of hockey, since players can score from anywhere in the attacking half. The match duration is shorter, with 2 halves of 10 minutes each. Hockey5s is played on a smaller pitch, which enables to bring hockey to people in new and unexpected venues, sometimes even in the heart of cities. Precisely, ‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ will be staged on the Place de la Navigation, an iconic location near the Lac Léman bordering the Olympic Capital, where a 500-seat stadium will be built specifically for the occasion. FIH Global Supplier Polytan will deliver the first prototype non-watered turf for elite hockey. FIH CEO Thierry Weil stated: “We’re very much looking forward to this really exciting event in the Olympic capital! Beyond the competitive aspect, one major objective of this event is to promote - or even introduce - the intensity, speed, skills and fun of hockey to everyone, not only in the city but also worldwide thanks to Watch.Hockey and our broadcast partners. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to all our partners, in particular our title sponsor Hero, as well as the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud, for their great support. And I invite everyone to come and enjoy our sport!” Played in more than 70 countries around the world, Hockey5s was the most attended sport at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with no less than 200’000 spectators! In 2019, in order to further boost the development of hockey globally through Hockey5s, the FIH Executive Board decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup - with the inaugural edition planned in 2024 in Oman - and, in the near future, a Hockey5s World Tour, which will consist of events similar to Lausanne’s.

Sports Reporter LAHORE:-The Pakistan Hockey Federation has named the 40 players set-up national hockey training camp to prepare the squad for upcoming Asia Hockey Cup 2022. The camp will start from May 9 at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. Federation has instructed the players to report to camp manager Olympian Khawaja Junaid on May 9. It is to be noted that the said National Training Camp is being held in connection with the preparations for Asia Cup Jakarta, Commonwealth Birmingham and Asian Games China.  Names of players: Abdullah Ishtiaq, Goalkeeper (Mari Petroleum), Akmal Hussain, Goalkeeper (WAPDA), Mubashir Ali (WAPDA), Emad Shakeel Butt (National Bank), Abu Bakar Mahmood. (National Bank), Mohammad Abdullah (Mari Petroleum), Mohammad Hammad Anjum (WAPDA), Arbaaz Ahmed (Mari Petroleum), Rizwan Ali (Pakistan Air Force), Abdul Manan (Sui Southern), Umar Bhatta (WAPDA), Rana Abdul Waheed (WAPDA) , Ghazanfar Ali (Mari Hetrolium), Mohammad Salman (WAPDA), Roman Khan (WAPDA), Moin Shakeel (WAPDA), Ali Shan (Sui Southern), Junaid Manzoor (National Bank), Ejaz Ahmed (WAPDA) Abdul Hanan Shahid (WAPDA) , Ahmed Nadeem (Mari Petroleum), Noheez Zahid (National Bank), Rana Sohail Riaz (Sui Southern) and Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Goalkeeper (Sui Southern) Names of officials: Olympian Khawaja Junaid (Camp Manager), Sigfried Ekman (Head Coach), Ajmal Khan Lodhi, Olympian Wasim Ahmed and Olympian Sameer Hussain( Assistant Coaches), Imran Shah and Imran Butt (Goal Keeping Coach), Nadeem Lodhi (Video Analyst), Adeel Akhtar and Mohammad Aslam (Physiotherapist)

Sports Reporter LAHORE:-Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced to hold the b Chief of Army Staff Inter-Club District Hockey Championship aiming to develop and promote the national game at the grassroots According to an official of PHF, as per PHF guidelines, all districts should hold the "Chief of Army Staff Inter-Club District Hockey Championship" at their region headquarters from May 15 to May 25. All club department players will be eligible to join the team at the event. Special care will be taken of the age limit of the players. Players up to the age of 30 will be allowed to participate in the event. The club has at least two players aged 16 and 18. All clubs will add a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 18 players to their team. The winning team will participate at regional level event.