Will miss SV Sunil on the field, says Yuvraj Walmiki

New Delhi, June 14, 2015:  As the Fintro Hockey World League semi-final 2015 is set to commence in a few days, India men hockey team is gearing-up for the tournament at Antwerp in Belgium.

Speaking on him and his brother being in the team, he said, “I am fortunate to be part of this important tournament and it becomes more special as I will be playing along with my brother Devindar Walmiki. This is like a dream come true as we always spoke about representing the country together and this dream is soon to get realised.”

Speaking on the new attacking strategies, he added, “Under the new Chief Coach Paul van Ass, we are learning how to change our game from attack to defend in a matter of a few seconds. All the players are now part of the Team’s defensive strategies and I am learning the skills and defending tactics. This I think will work in our favour as we change our game plan as per the situation now. The players have no set boundaries now and each one is responsible towards the going-on, on the field. ”

Speaking on SV Sunil he stated, “I think we will miss him on the field as he is the speed demon of the team. The way he tears through the heart of the opponents defence is remarkable. But I think we need to learn on playing under situations where key players have to miss out because of reasons beyond anyone’s control”.

Fintro Hockey World League Semi-Final 2015 is scheduled from 20th June to 05th July 2015. India will be seen clashing against France at 09:30 pm ISTin their opening match of the tournament on 20th June 2015. The matches will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

HI Press release

India men hockey team beats France 1-0 in their first practice match

New Delhi, June 13, 2015: Playing their first practice match against France yesterday, ahead of the Fintro FIH World League semi-finals in Belgium, the Indian men hockey team beat their opponents 1-0.

The match started with great vigor and speed as both the sides attacked, looking for the initial goal. While trying to capitalize on the chances in the first quarter, both the teams unable to score resulted in the session ending in a dry run. The second session saw India increasing the tempo of attack and finally in the 23rd minute, Rupinder Pal Singh struck through a brilliant penalty corner and opened the score to 1-0. The goal by Rupinder proved to be the sole goal for the game as India won by 1-0.

The Indian men team will be playing their second practice match against the host team Belgium in the evening today (5.45 pm – IST) and will look at marking yet another win to their name.

FIH Hockey World League Semi-Final is scheduled from 20th June - 05 July 2015. India will be seen clashing against France at 09:30 PM IST in their opening match of the tournament on 20 June 2015. The matches will be Telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

HI Press release

Vandana Katariya strengthens the team’s attack, says Rani

New Delhi, June 13, 2015: As the much awaited FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Finals are all set to commence from June 20 at Belgium, the Indian forward Rani is all primed up to exhibit the finest of her game skills.

Putting all her strategies in place, the 21 year old Rani, is extensively working on holding the possession of the ball and improving her short passing skills. Being given an absolute support from her team mates, she is expecting highly spontaneous and positional field work in the most awaited tournament of the year.

Speaking on her preparations for the upcoming tournament, Rani said, “The tournament is really tough but the aim is the berth for the Rio Olympics. We are geared up as a team. I think the key will be to take the crucial passes as this enables keeping possession of the ball and moving further towards the opponent’s Defence wall.  This is possible if we keep pace with each other. We have been working on our passes and tackles and we are confident of a good start.”

Speaking on Vandana Katariya she said “We clearly missed her during the Hawke’s Bay Cup. Her being back in the team strengthens our attack as she is good with her speed and her skill to break the defence chain at times leaves the opponents on the back foot”.

The FIH Hockey World League Semi-Final will be played from 20 June to 04 July 2015 and ten teams will be seen fighting it out for the title. India will play their first match against Belgium at 07.30 PM IST on 20 June 2015. The matches will be telecast live on Star Sports.

HI Press release

Fariz, Aareyalee win tennis titles

 Aareyalee Chavan 

Mohammed Fariz 

Patna, June 13, 2015: Mohammed Fariz of Tamil Nadu won the men's singles title of the Vital All India Ranking Tennis Tournament title beating Raghav Jaisinghani of Madhya Pradesh 6-3, 6-1 in the final at Patliputra Tennis Centre here on Satursday.

Aareyalee Chavan of Maharashtra clinched the women's singles crown defeating Shilpi Swarupa Das of Odisha 6-1, 6-0.

In the men's doubles final, Chandra Shekhar Mohanty (Assam) and Jagdish Tanwar (Rajasthan) beat Ritwik Bhriguvanshi (Bihar) & Vishu Prasad (Delhi) 6-0, 6-4 to claim the title. The women's doubles title went in favour of Andhra Pradesh pair of Anusha Kondaveeti and Kondaveeti who defeated Aareyalee Chavaan (Maharashtra) and Tulana Nan (West Bengal) 6-3, 6-2.

Odisha boys win national sub-junior hockey title

New Delhi,  May 24, 2015: The Final day of the 5th Sub Junior National Hockey Championship 2015 (Men) at New Delhi saw two teams playing for the Champions tag. In the earlier match of the day, two teams played for the 3rd position. It was Hockey Odisha who beat Hockey Haryana by 4-1 to emerge the winners of the tournament. Playing for the 3rd / 4th position, Hockey Gangpur - Odisha beat Hockey Karnataka by 5-3 to settle for the 3rd position.  

In the final clash, Hockey Odisha defeated Hockey Haryana 4-1 to clinch the title of the 5th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship. The battle between the two teams turned out to be a tough one where both the teams were striving to score from the onset but it was Hockey Odisha who showcased a good start as Ashwin Kujur netted the first goal for his team in the early ten minutes through a field effort. 

Taking the lead to 2-0, Sudhir Kujur scored the second goal for Hockey Odisha in the 14th minute of the game. The game seemed to be dominated by Hockey Odisha when completely charged Suman Beck made no mistake and converted a penalty stroke in the 27th minute. By the end of the first half, Hockey Odisha was leading with a 3-0 on the score board. 

The second half was even exciting as Hockey Haryana’s remarkable efforts resulted in a field goal which came through the stick of the captain Abhishek who dexterously struck the nets in the 43rd minute to open the team’s account by 1-3. With this, Hockey Odisha intensified their attacks and bounced back into the game by yielding a 69th minute field goal through Pradeep Lakra who wrapped up the tournament in favour of Hockey Odisha winning the match 4-1.

The Hardline match between Hockey Gangpur - Odisha and Hockey Karnataka was an intense clash as the former managed to outwit the latter to win the game 5-3. The proceedings for the day started as early as the 6th minute when Pavan M Madiwalar scored though a field goal taking Hockey Karnataka to a lead of 1-0. 

Looking for the equalising goal Hockey Gangpur Odisha stuck in the 11thminute which was the result of the field efforts by Biraj Topno. Just before going onto break, Hockey Gangpur Odisha managed to take the lead in the game when a penalty corner was struck on target by Biraj Topno which even marked his second consecutive goal in the match. 

With a 2-1 lead in the game, Hockey Gangpur Odisha came back with a strong intent to continue their hold in the game. 38th and 44th minute saw the team adding two more goals to their tally, taking the scorecard to 4-1. Hockey Karnataka looking at coming back into the game scored in the 52nd minute as Likhith B. M scored through an amazing field effort. 

Hockey Gangpur Odisha not deterred by this, yet again scored the very next minute and the scorecard read 5-2. In a desperate attempt to score, Hockey Karnataka scored through a penalty corner but it was late as Hockey Gangpur Odisha won 5-3 and which allowed them to take the 3rd position in the tournament.

RESULTS OF THE DAY-

Final Hockey Odisha 4 Ashwin Kujur (10min- FG), Sudhir Kujur (14min- FG), Suman Beck (27min- PS), Pradeep Lakra (69min- FG) vs Hockey Haryana 1 Abhishek (43min- FG)

3rd / 4th Position: Hockey Gangpur - Odisha 5 Biraj Topno (11 min-FG, 34 min-PC), Nahas Barwa (38 min-FG), Mandip Kerketta (44 min-FG), Ibrahim Toppo (53 min-FG) vs Hockey Karnataka 3 Pavan M Madiwalar (6 min-FG), Likhith B. M (52 min-FG), Rajesh (60 min-PC)

HI Press release

Hockey Mizoram, and Hockey Patiala girls book berths in final

Ranchi,  May 25, 2015: The 5th Sub-Junior Hockey India National Championship 2015 (Women) Div B saw two exciting semi final clashes where the four teams played their best with an aim to reach the B-Division finals.

Hockey Mizoram will face Hockey Patiala in the finals tomorrow, whereas, Chandigarh Olympic Association and Hockey Bhopal will fight for the 3rd /4thposition.

The first semi final clash between Hockey Mizoram and Chandigarh Olympic Association was a hard fought battle won by Hockey Mizoram who defeated the opponents by 3-2 confirming a berth for tomorrow’s Final match. Followed by this was the second semi final clash where Hockey Patiala attained victory of 3-0 against Hockey Bhopal shining out as the finalists.

The first crucial battle between Hockey Mizoram and Chandigarh Olympic Association was an interesting session where Hockey Mizoram pulled down Chandigarh Olympic Association by 3-2 and made their way to the Final.

The proceedings for the day were started by Chandigarh Olympic Association when Shalu Mann through a field effort helped the team to open their account in the 7th minute of the game. The remaining first half witnessed continuous efforts from both the teams, where Hockey Mizoram was striving to open their account on the other hand Chandigarh Olympic Association worked towards adding another goal to the score card.

The first half ended in favour of Chandigarh Olympic Association leading by 1-0. Hockey Mizoram made sure to mark a good beginning in the second half by scoring a field goal in the 38th minute coming from the stick of F Lalawmpwii which helped the team to open their score card and equalising the game 1-1.

Very soon in the 49th minute Hockey Mizoram scored their second field goal which was beautifully smashed by Lalaremsiami taking the team towards a lead of 2-1. Chandigarh Olympic Association did not delay in answering this with a field goal and equalising the score in the 65th minute when Akshita Yadav from the team smartly entered the opponents’ defence.

However in the very next minute Hockey Mizoram took the lead again with a field goal coming again from Lalremsiami and declared themselves as one of the finalists for tomorrow.

The second semi-final clash proved to a be one sided affair as Hockey Patiala scored a total of three goals and not allowing Hockey Bhopal to score any easy goal which helped them win the game by 3-0. While the first half seemed a tough battle as both teams kept a good attack on each other and even defending well in the process. When it seemed that the session will be a dry run, 33rd minute yielded the first goal of the match as Hockey Patiala’s Baljinder Kaur scored a brilliant field goal.

With the lead in their kitty, Hockey Patiala increased the momentum of attack and 39th minute saw the team doubling the lead as Jasmine Kaur ensured that she capitalised on the penalty corner. just second left into the game Hockey Patiala slammed their third goal to take the win 3-0 ad advance to the Final match tomorrow.

Results of the Day

Semi Final 1 : Hockey Mizoram 3 F Lalawmpwii (38min-FG), Lalremsiami (49min-FG, 66min-FG) vs Chandigarh Olympic Association 2 Shalu Mann (7min-FG), Akshita Yadav (65min-FG)

Semi Final 2 : Hockey Patiala 3 Baljinder Kaur (33min-FG), Jasmine Kaur (39min-PC), Navjot Kaur (70 min-FG)  vs Hockey Bhopal 0

HI Press release

Indian men hockey team announced for FIH Hockey World League semi-final

New Delhi,  May 26, 2015: Hockey India today announced the Indian Men Team for FIH Hockey World League Semi- Final to be played in Belgium from 20th June to 5th July 2015. The League featuring ten teams is divided in Pool A and Pool B.  India is placed in Pool A along with France, Poland, Pakistan and Australia whereas China, Ireland, Malaysia, Great Britain and Belgium are sited in Pool B.

The 18-member squad will be captained by the very proficient midfielder Sardar Singh who has to his credit of 216 International caps. He will be supported by Vice-Captain PR Sreejesh. Playing their first match on 20 June 2015, India is slotted against France in their opening match of the tournament.

The Indian Men Hockey Team is all geared up and motivated for the upcoming challenge and looking forward to giving a tough time to the opponents on the field.

Speaking on the announcement of the team, India Chief Coach Paul van Ass said, “The team is full of confidence which they proved in the recent Japan series where they gave Japan a tough time and beat them 3-0. As they will be clashing with the finest of the teams, the boys are working upon their strategies and confident to put up a good show in the tournament. Their pool is tough but the boys are confident of putting up a great show. The team is excited to face Australia yet again.”

FIH Hockey World League Semi-Final is scheduled from 20th June- 05 July 2015. India will be seen clashing against France at 09:30 PM IST in their opening match of the tournament on 20 June 2015.

List of Indian Men Hockey Team –

GOALKEEPERS

1.         PR Sreejesh

2.         Harjot Singh

DEFENDERS

3.         Manpreet Singh

4.         Birendra Lakra

5.         Kothajit Singh

6.         VR Ragunath

7.         Jasjit Singh Kular

8.         Gurmail Singh

MIDFIELDERS

9.         Gurbaj Singh

10.       Dharamvir Singh

11.       Sardar Singh

12.       Chinglensana Singh

13.       Lalit Upadhyay

FORWARDS

14.       SV Sunil

15.       Nikkin Thimmaiah

16.       Yuvraj Walmiki

17.       Akashdeep Singh

18.       Ramandeep Singh

HI Press release

Shiv Kapur qualifies for second straight US Open, joins Anirban Lahiri at year’s second Major

Surrey, England, May 26, 2015: Shiv Kapur joined Anirban Lahiri as the second Indian to qualify for the 2015 US Open. Kapur made the grade after finishing second at the international sectional qualifier at the Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, on Monday.

Kapur shot a pair of 67s to total 10-under-134 for two rounds and thus earned a ticket to the US Open for the second year in succession. Shiv had posted the best finish by an Indian, a tied 23rd, during his US Open debut at Pinehurst last year.

Kapur, who made 12 birdies and two bogeys in his two rounds on Monday, finished one shot behind the winner Alexander Levy of France. The top 11 players from the international sectional qualifier made it to the US Open.

Shiv, the fourth-highest ranked Indian in the world at 314, will now be making his fourth Major appearance. The 33-year-old from Delhi, has also been part of the field at the British Open in 2006 and 2013. He made the cut at the British Open in his second attempt.

“This afternoon, I was blemish free – five birdies, no bogeys, so I’m very pleased. That’s two years in a row now I’ve qualified from here so it is my happy hunting ground. I had a decent showing at Pinehurst last year so hopefully I can do even better this year,” said the Indian, who was the 2005 Asian Tour Rookie of the Year.

“Last year was the coolest event I’ve played. I got cheered around all the way and coming up 18 I remember finishing with a birdie and it was the biggest cheer I’ve ever heard, so the U.S. Open is really, really cool. At the end of the day, we play the sport to play the Majors and compete against the best, so it’s a dream come true.

“Michael Campbell showed it can be done (winning the US Open after coming through qualifiers in 2005). Last year I was on the leaderboard for a while and I know if I play my best it is not out of the equation. But I just want to go out there and enjoy playing in another U.S. Open and it will be a really cool feeling.”

Kapur’s compatriot Anirban Lahiri, the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, is already exempt into the US Open through his top-60 position in the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday. Lahiri will be making his debut at the event.

Jeev Milkha Singh, the other Indian at the qualifying event in England, missed out on making it to his fifth US Open after he shot scores of 69 and 72 to be tied 20th at three-under-141. He missed the qualifying mark by two strokes.

The US Open will be held at Chambers Bay Golf Club, Washington, from June 18-21.

A PGTI Press release