ZELLER CORNER GIVES GERMANY THE GOLD

Germany are the new Olympic champions after a workmanlike performance against the Spanish. The only goal of the match was scored by Christopher Zeller from a penalty corner.

But for sheer entertainment amongst the medal matches, the meeting between Australia and the Netherlands for the bronze would take some beating. Ever since the 1986 World Cup there has been a question mark over the Dutch temperament when they are not winning and it was tested today, playing for bronze and finding themselves three behind after only 10 minutes. Taeke Taekema’s penalty corner prowess brought them back into the match with the first Dutch goal, with a second coming from Teun de Nooijer, but after that it was all Australia. Final score 6-2 and the bronze medal goes to Australia.

The full results, including pool tables and final rankings, are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Our on-line magazine, HockeyTalk, will be available to download as from next Thursday. This edition will include features on the Olympic games, plus all the results and tables currently available from the site.

CLARKE WORKS MAGIC IN FIFTH PLACE MATCH

Great Britain put in what was arguably their best performance of the Olympic Hockey Tournament this morning when the men took on fifth ranked Korea. Although GB looked competitive throughout the match, it was not until the second half that they went up a gear and gave us a demonstration in hockey which their critics would say should have started two weeks ago. Barry Middleton struck home a cross in the 44th minute but watchers might have been forgiven for not getting too excited. The opening scorers in this tournament have frequently gone on to lose the match and a penalty corner strike by Jong Hyun Jang could be read as a warning sign. On 1-1, the ever industrious Richard Alexander found himself with the ball near to the penalty spot but was promptly upended by Dong Sik Ko in the Korean goal. Ashley Jackson stepped up to take the resulting stroke and made no mistake. It was then that the ever threatening Jonty Clarke worked some magic, first deflecting a Stephen Dick cross into the net, followed by a one-man effort where he dribbled around Myung Ho Lee (who had been substituted in the Korean goal for KO) and popped the ball into the goal. It was not all over for the Koreans, who managed to convert a penalty corner via Hyw Sung Hyun to bring the score to 4-2, but in the dying seconds of the match a Glenn Kirkham cross hit the foot of a Korean defender and was deflected into the Korean goal. Final score 5-2 to Great Britain and a fifth place finish in the Olympic Hockey Tournament.

A report on the final and bronze medal matches will appear on this blog later today.

NETHERLANDS TAKE GOLD AS GB FINISH SIXTH

The final of the women’s Olympic hockey tournament was played out in Beijing this evening between China and the world number one ranked side, the Netherlands. The Dutch applied early pressure to their hosts and won their first penalty corner in the first three minutes. Yimeng Zhang pulled off two great saves and on the second corner pushed the ball wide. Zhang was called into action again after continuing assaults on the Chinese goal and the match went into the break at nil all. Both sides had early scoring chances in the second half but it was not until the 16th minute that Naomi van As (pictured) was able to score from a Dutch penalty corner that had gone awry. Eleven minutes later the diminutive Maatje Gooderie scored from open play and the Dutch were able to hang on to their 2-0 lead to win the match and take the gold medals.

Argentina, who seemed to be slow picking up their form in this tournament, were at last able to show their true colours with a 3-1 win over Germany to take the bronze. The Argentine goals were by Rosario Luchetti, Carla Rebecchi and Noel Barrionuevo. The German goal was off the stick of Anke Kueuhn.

Despite Kate Walsh’s assurances that Great Britain would win their fifth place match, they went down to goals from Australia’s Madonna Blythe and Hope Monroe, to lose 2-0. They finish in sixth place.

Great Britain men play in the 5th/6th place match in Beijing tomorrow.

Full results, tables, and final placings, can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

IT'S AN ALL EUROPEAN FINAL

The men’s semi finals of the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing this evening were graced by two excellent matches between well matched sides.

The semi-final between Germany and Netherlands went to the 66th minute before Timme Hoyng opened the scoring with a deflected shot from a penalty corner strike by Taeke Taekema to give the Dutch the lead. It was to be a short lived, with Phillip Zeller replying from open play within two minutes. Extra time brought no resolution to the contest and so it went to penalty strokes. After the first set of five ended on at three apiece, it was then down to sudden death. Christopher Zeller stepped up for Germany and, although Guss Vogels got a touch, the Germans took the lead. Next up was Takema, trying to convert his feared penalty corner striking into success from the penalty spot. He put the ball to the left of Max Weinold at shoulder height and the ‘keeper was just able to get a glove to the ball, sending it spinning over the crossbar. Final penalty corner count: 4-3 in Germany’s favour. In fairness, as closely contested as the match was, a German victory was probably a just outcome.

In the other semi final Australia found themselves on the scoreboard within seconds of the opening whistle when Des Abbott scored from a cross from Travis Brooks. Going into the second half at 1-0 they repeated the trick by scoring a second in the first two minutes, this time off the stick of Eddie Ockenden. Australia’s lead did not really reflect the balance of play, but two goals from Eduard Tubau (pictured) put the sides on equal terms. This looked like the second semi final to go to extra time but, with three minutes left on the clock, a nudge on Eduard Arbos by David Guest gave Spain a penalty corner. Santi Freixa’s strike hit defender Robert Hammond on the knee and another penalty corner was awarded. There were a couple of seconds confusion involving the technical officer, which appeared to be as a result of Australia trying to substitute Hammond, but Freixa’s second attempt found the net to put Spain 3-2 ahead. In a last ditch attempt to force the match to extra time, Luke Doerner donned a blue jersey and took over as kicking back from goalie Stephen Lambert, but to no avail. Spain won the match 3-2 and will now meet Germany in the final on Saturday.

The results from other matches today can be found on our web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Great Britain’s women will be in action tomorrow when they play Australia for fifth place. This will be followed by the bronze medal match between Germany and Argentina. The final between the Netherlands and China will be played after the bronze medal match.

PAUMEN STUNS ARGENTINA INTO SUBMISSION

Penalty corner striking by Maatje Paumen stunned Argentina as the Dutch cruised through to the finals of the women’s Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing this evening. Paumen struck twice in the first half and, with a super field goal from Marilyn Agliotti to add to the score, the Dutch were able to go into the second half at 3-0. The second half was barely 12 minutes old when Paumen found the net for the third time in the match, using the same technique as the two previous goals – hit quickly and hit hard.

Although the Dutch dominated the game, the Argentines did have their moments. Luciana Aymar played sublime hockey on occasions but one has to add the caveat that she often tried to do too much on her own. The Dutch so dominated the match that there were occasions when one could accuse them of being too casual and a 20th minute goal by Agustina Garcia was the price they had to pay.

The dying seconds of the match saw a goal from both sides. Ellen Hoog, who had been in the thick of things for much of the match, dribbled the ball up the backline, beat the goalkeeper and slammed the ball into the net. Then Argentina’s Alejandra Gulla, who had only returned to the pitch minutes before after being sin-binned for slashing at a Dutch stick, collected a pass on the far post and touched the ball into the net. Final score 5-2 to the Dutch.

In the other semi final the Germans were made to look very ordinary by the host team. Despite scoring early in both halves and being in the lead for most of the first, China looked by far the better side. They even proved that they could score penalty corners when Yibo Ma scored China’s equaliser in the fourth minute of the second half. Ma was lucky to be on the pitch, as she had been suspended by the Tournament Director for failing to control her team following some misconduct at the end of their match against Australia. Her suspension had been overruled on appeal. China’s winner came near to the end of the match, off the stick of Yudiao Zhao. Final score 3-2 to China.

The final between the Netherlands and China will be played on Friday.

Some of the lower places were decided today. Unlike many hockey competitions, the Olympic tournament only requires the top two teams in each pool to play two more matches, namely a semi final and a final or bronze medal mach. For all the other teams in the two pools, third plays third, fourth plays fourth, etc, down the tables. Today saw the matches of the fourth and fifth placed sides. Scores can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Great Britain’s women play Australia on Friday to decide the fifth and sixth places. South Africa and New Zealand also play on that day to decide the wooden spoon.

Tomorrow sees the men’s semi finals between the Netherlands and Germany, and Spain and Australia. Great Britain’s next match is to decide fifth place and will be against Korea on Saturday.

GREAT BRITAIN'S LATE EFFORT IMPRESSES

The fact of the matter is that Australia had done all they needed to do to get to the medal stages of the Olympic hockey tournament, barring an unlikely 8-0 defeat at the hands of Great Britain. If qualification had depended on a win, then the outcome of the match between the two old rivals would undoubtedly been different. That said, Jason Lee’s team put on an impressive display in the Olympic Green Hockey Stadium this evening.

The early encounters during the match would have given no clue as to what was to come. Australia seemed to be in cruise mode, no doubt saving themselves for Thursday’s semi finals. That did not stop Jamie Dwyer from being a constant threat throughout the 70 minutes of the match. Australia won their first penalty corner of the match in the 19th minute, but two attempts at goal came to nothing. Then a most extraordinary series of incidents in front of goal set the pulses racing. Alistair McGregor in the GB goal stopped one shot at goal, a shot from the rebound was stopped on the line by Ben Hawes, and seconds later McGregor stopped a third.

Barry Middleton’s first half performance was on a par with Dwyer’s and he posed a constant threat to the Australian back line, and could even be found tackling back in defence. With about seven minutes of the first half remaining, Middleton had a scoring chance but was closed down by Stephen Lambert in the Australian goal. But Middleton left it to the last seconds of the match to leave an indelible mark on the game. A superb cross from the left wing found Middelton, who parried the ball into the back on the net.

Five minute into the second half Australia were awarded a penalty corner. Dwyer’s first strike was stopped but Bevan George pounced on the rebound and struck the ball passed McGregor to give the Australian’s an equaliser. Five minutes later Dwyer found himself in the ‘D’ with the ball at his feet and slammed the ball home for Australia’s second. Despite the setback, GB were playing with more confidence and flair than we had seen in the previous two matches. Richard Alexander had a shot at goal miss the far post by inches. Then, two minutes after Australia had scored their second, GB were awarded a penalty corner. Lambert chose to stay upright to receive Richard Mantell’s strike, and paid the price as the ball tore along the ground and out of range of his right foot. 2-2.

With fifteen minutes of play remaining, Rob Hammond in the Australian defence failed to stop a cross by Ban Hawes cleanly, which Rob Moore gratefully swept into the goal. At 3-2 up it seemed like a fairy tale come true, but the Australians certainly did not look as if they were going to give up and roll over. The ever dangerous Dwyer had a shot go wide of the far post and a penalty corner shot that fell loose in front of the GB goal was pushed away by Richard Mantell. Australia’s equaliser in the last two minutes bore similarities to GB’s third goal. Jon Bleby tried to stop a cross from the right on the reverse, but the ball eluded him and was slotted into the net by Eddie Ockenden. The final act of the match summed up the whole 70 minutes. With about two seconds left on the clock, Dwyer collected a pass in front of goal with only McGregor to beat, but McGregor was more than a match for his shot. Brilliant play by Dwyer. Brilliant defending by GB. Final score 3-3.

The inevitable question arises – why did GB not play like this for the entire tournament? Their best performances have undoubtedly been against the two strongest teams in the pool, the Netherlands and Australia. Answers on a post card please to that question.

Great Britain now play Korea to decide the 5th place in the tournament. That match will take place on Saturday.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

KERRY WILL HAVE TO LIFT GB WOMEN FOR AUSTRALIA MATCH

After the match against the USA this afternoon, GB skipper Kate Walsh is quoted as saying, “We want to go on to finish fifth in the competition and that is what we are going to do.” At the time she did not know what was going on in the remaining match in Pool A – the match which would decide GB’s opposition this Friday. Australia, who were occupying a surprising third place in Pool A, had the opportunity to climb into a semi-final spot by beating China. But it was two goals by China’s Hongxia Li that had them trailing for much of the match. Second half goals by Casey Eastham and Sarah Young saved them from the ignominy of defeat but still left them in third place, separated from second place China on goal difference. So Great Britain’s opposition will be Australia on Friday, in a curtain raiser to the bronze medal match. Danny Kerry will have to lift his squad after their dismal performance against the USA earlier today if they are to stand a chance against the powerful Australians.

China will play Germany in the semi finals on Wednesday. Germany made heavy weather of their last Pool B match, taking forty minutes to score the only goal of the match, off the stick of Janine Beermann. The other semi final will be between the Netherlands, the only team in the tournament still on maximum points and who beat Spain 2-0 this evening, and Argentina. Pundits had predicted that a win by New Zealand over Argentina was unlikely and they were right. But New Zealand added to their modest goal tally with goals by Ninawa Roberts and Elizabeth Igasan in their 3-2 defeat.

Full results and tables are available at our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk, including details of the crossover matches.

Great Britain’s men play Australia at 13:30 BST in the last of their pool B matches.

GB WOMEN RELY ON STORRY

Great Britain’s women needed to win the last of their Pool B matches against the USA to stand a realistic chance of progressing through to the medal stages, but as the game progressed it became apparent that a win for GB was going to be the greatest miracle since the parting of the Red Sea. The penalty corner count – 10 to 1 in the USA’s favour at one stage of the match – says it all, and the British have goalkeeper Beth Storry (pictured) to thank for not being on the receiving end of a thrashing. Not to take anything away from the USA, who played a good match, it was a game where all too few passes found their target, and more than a few seemed to be aimed directly at an opponent.

The USA took control of the match early on, and it was not much more than five minutes old when the USA won a penalty corner after a period of intense pressure. Storry managed to control the ball well after a rebound but the ball then went onto a GB foot. The second attempt found Angela Loy inches from the Britsh goal line, ironically too close to the ball to get it under proper control, before Beth Storry flung herself between Loy and the goal.

The Americans must rue the lack of a decent penalty corner routine. Although Storry was massively instrumental in keeping them out, they paid the price for a lack of originality. Their best chance came in the last five minutes pf the half, when the ball was struck towards the left post, but the player hovering by the post missed her chance.

The second half showed no let up for GB. The USA’s eighth penalty corner, five minutes into the half, was pushed round the post by Storry after a fearsome strike by Kelly Doton. Fifteen minutes later GB must have thought that the gods of Olympia were definitely smiling on them when a penalty corner strike beat Storry to rebound off what appeared to be the inside edge of the near post. The rebound was quickly swept away by Storry before she disappeared among a melee of players.

The last ten minutes gave us hope that GB could at last pull it off. Alex Danson fought her way into the circle but there was nobody there to collect her pass. Rachel Walker found herself unmarked in front of goal but was penalised for ‘feet’ when the pass came her way. GB then earned their first penalty corner of the match, which was struck just wide by Kate Walsh. With less than two minutes left on the clock Great Britain earned two penalty corners, the second of which was in overtime. Were we to see a repeat of the last minute goal scored against Japan a few days earlier? Unfortunately, it was not to be and the final score remained at 0-0.
With the exception of Beth Storry, who throughout this tournament has played well, it is hard to find words to describe this performance. Great Britain clearly did not have their hockey heads on for this match. There were flashes of brilliance – Helen Richardson can share some of the credit for GB keeping a clean sheet in this match and Sarah Thomas continues to impress – but overall a woeful performance.

Further reports will appear on this blog later today.

Full results and tables up to and including the last women’s pool games, will be available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk later today.

Round-up of today's hockey in Beijing

Great Britain’s men’s already slim chances of getting into the medal stages of the Olympic Hockey tournament took another downward spiral this afternoon when Australia and the Netherlands ended their match on a 2-2 draw, with all the goals coming in the last fifteen minutes of the match. This leaves both teams on 10 points, with Australia’s goal difference on +17 and Netherlands on +8. In order to finish second in the pool, Great Britain, who are on 7 points, would have to win their match against Australia on Tuesday by a healthy margin and hope that Pakistan can do the same against the Netherlands. GB’s goal difference has crept up to +3 but is still well behind the leaders.

South Africa’s Austin Smith won an achievement of sorts in their match against Pakistan. His 31st minute equaliser was South Africa’s first goal of the tournament but it was not enough to stop his side going down 3-1.

In Pool B China picked up their first point by drawing 2-2 against New Zealand. Indeed, they spent 54 minutes of the match in the lead before Shea McAleese scored his side’s second of the match. Germany move into second place after a 1-0 win over leader’s Spain, the goal coming from Moritz Furste just before the break. Korea beat Belgium 3-1 this morning to remain in touch with the leaders.

Full results and tables are on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Great Britain’s women play their final pool match tomorrow at 11:00 BST. Their opponents are the USA, who are fourth in Pool B, two points behind GB. The two leaders in the pool have comparatively easy games – Germany play Japan and Argentina play New Zealand – but it would only take a slip up by one of these sides to let Britain in to a semi-final place. GB will go into their match with the benefit of the result of the Germany v Japan match.

'TOO FURIOUS' TINDALL BLOWS GB CHANCES

There has always been something of the caveman about James Tindall, and two red-mist moments during this tournament will inevitably lead to accusations that he has deprived Great Britain of three potential points and the medal place that would have gone with them. On Wednesday it was Tindall who gave away the late penalty corner that earned the Netherlands their winning goal and Tindall a spell in the sin-bin. On that occasion you could put it down to just clumsiness or a surfeit of enthusiasm. But the foul on Canadian skipper Robert Short in Great Britain’s match against Canada is hard to explain away. It is difficult to describe the incident unless you saw it but Short and Tindall were in contention for the ball and Tindall had gone in low, as is his style. Finding himself wedged under Short, Tindall stood up and in so doing threw Short bodily into the air. It was an action which seemed to serve no useful purpose in the match and earned Tindall his second yellow card in four matches. It was whilst Great Britain were down to ten men that Canada’s Ken Pereira scored in open play mid-way through the second half, with a ball that was struck through a crowded ‘D’ from the edge of the circle.

Not that Tindall was the only sinner on the pitch. On two occasions GB players were struck in the face by unnecessarily high sticks. Canada’s Sukhwinder Singh earned himself a yellow card when he caught Glenn Kirkham in the face. Singh was joined in the sin bin minutes later by Matt Daly for the use of an elbow. Pereira, a massively talented player for the Canadians, was lucky not to be keeping Tindall company after his stick caught Jon Bleby in the face and caused him to leave the pitch for attention.

Ironically, it was Tindall who had one of a handful of scoring opportunities against the Canadians, with a shot in the second half that was well saved by Michael Mahood in the Canadian goal. Later he was to have a second opportunity when, following a long run, he had a shot saved by the ‘keeper at close range. But overall it was a poor performance by Great Britain, who were possibly still smarting after the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Canada in the recent Setanta Trophy in Dublin. Some of GB’s old ills, such as trying to attacked pack defences head on, were still apparent. As the seconds ticked by, it looked as if the Canadians were going to record a second victory. But it was Matt Daly who came to Great Britain’s rescue. Picking up on a ball injected into the D, he slipped the ball between Mahood’s legs and into the goal.

GB might just have snatched the win in the last minute, as the women had done on Saturday against Japan. Two late penalty corners, the last in overtime, left the score at a disappointing 1-1.

Looking at James Tindall’s profile in the Great Britain Hockey media pack, I see that his favourite film is “Too Fast Too Furious.” There is more than a hint of irony in that choice. However, the current situation in the table is that after today’s round of matches Great Britain will remain third irrespective of the other results. Whilst a chance at a semi final place is theoretically possible, the reality is somewhat more daunting. Australia and the Netherlands, who lead the table and are only separated on goal difference, play each other this evening. Great Britain’s next opponents are Australia, when they play their final Pool B match on Tuesday.

Our picture shows Canada's Ken Pereira (in white) and James Tindall, during the recent Great Britain v Canada Match in Dublin.

A report on all today's matches will appear on this blog later.

GREAT BRITAIN WOMEN GRASP LAST CHANCE AT MEDAL

Argentina’s dramatic 4-0 win over Germany in the early evening game in Beijing today had us all running for our pocket calculators to discover what the possible outcomes might be from a win, draw, or defeat, for Great Britain in their match against Japan. It was soon clear that anything short of an outright win for GB would mean oblivion. The same applied to Japan, and so it was a rather edgy and disjointed match, where both sides knew the potential outcome of a possible slip-up.

After some initial action in the first ten minutes, the match settled down to a sparring match, with each side testing the other. Things started to hot up as the break approached. Chima had a goal scoring opportunity in the GB circle but her attempt at a reverse stick hit ended in an air shot. At the other end Mel Clewlow had a penalty corner strike stopped on the line. With three minutes of play left, Anne Panter managed to slip her marker and parried a cross into Japan’s net from a pass from Chloe Rogers. This was Panter’s first Great Britain goal, and was something in the way of compensation for her disallowed goal against New Zealand on Thursday. The first half closed with plenty of action, with Beth Storry stopping a penalty corner strike finding her net at one end, whilst Japanese ‘keeper Ikuko Okamura stopped a shot from Alex Danson at the other.

The Japanese started to exert more pressure in the second half. Three minutes into the half, the ball found the GB net but was adjudged by the umpire to have come off a Japanese foot. The pressure started to tell as Chloe Rogers was sin-binned for hooking away an opponent’s stick. With twelve minutes of play left, Japan were awarded a penalty corner. The strike, when it came, seemed to be covered by a grounded Beth Storry but Rachel Walker’s stick gave it the lightest touch and the ball popped over Storry’s prone body and into the back of the net. 1-1.

Seeing the chances of a medal slipping away, Great Britain started to fight their way back into the game. Rachel Walker had a shot at goal saved and Sarah Thomas was denied at close range. The pressure of the game became briefly two much for Charlotte Craddock who found herself occupying the chair in the sin bin that had been vacated minutes before by Rogers. But with approximately 90 seconds showing on the clock, Great Britain were awarded a penalty corner. This was clearly going to be the last shout of the match. In the circumstances the perceived wisdom might have been to have struck the ball first time but GB played around with the ball in a seemingly bizarre and complex routine and then, suddenly, Crista Cullen struck and the ball was in the back of the net. The final hooter sounded whilst the GB girls were celebrating. Final score 2-1.

In the other match in Pool B, the USA beat New Zealand 4-1.

Today’s results, with one more match to play, puts Great Britain’s women in third place behind Argentina and Germany. Regrettably, the top three teams in the pool are playing weaker sides in their next matches, which will almost certainly mean that they will keep their present positions after Monday. Great Britain’s position is not helped by a goal difference of -2.

In Pool A Australia slip to third after their 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands this morning. China are in third position after a 6-1 win over Korea, whilst South Africa remain on the bottom after being beaten 1-0 by Spain.

Great Britain’s men are next in action tomorrow morning (01:00 GMT) when they play Canada.

Full results and tables are available at our main site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Errata

In our report on the women's match on Thursday we mentioned that their next match would be against Japan on Sunday. This should, of course, have read Saturday. The match is at 13:30 BST. I am grateful to the reader who contacted me to point out my error.

Peter Savage
TalkHockeyRadio

GB MEN RECORD WIN BUT BIMSON INJURY FORCES HER OUT OF SQUAD

South Africa had conceded fifteen goals in the two previous matches and when they met Great Britain’s men in Pool B in Beijing this evening, we might have expected an easy victory. But Great Britain were not playing at their best and South Africa made them work hard for their goals. Ironically, the player who most stopped GB from notching up a respectable score was one familiar to followers of the Slazenger League in England – recently promoted Southgate’s Chris Hibbert, who was keeping goal for his country. Britain’s first goal came from James Tindall, blamed by some for his side’s defeat against the Dutch on Wednesday, who neatly chipped the ball over an out-rushing Hibbert and into the back of the net. But South Africa were allowed far more possession than they deserved and for much of the first half, both sides were in with scoring chances.

Early in the second half, Jonty Clarke, a continual threat down the left side, had a shot saved off the line, and at the other end Geoff Abbott managed to sky a shot at goal. Tindall was threatening again, forcing his way into the circle and causing a defender to lift the ball dangerously, as was Barry Middleton who was pushed to the ground in front of goal. But GB’s penalty corner taking was well under par and neither of the corners that resulted were converted. South Africa had a good scoring chance during a scramble in front of goal but South Africa started to tire and a second GB goal looked inevitable. James Tindall had a shot at goal saved by Hibbert and Rob Moore was denied by Hibbert’s glove. With under five minutes left, GB’s efforts got their due deserts. Skipper Ben Hawes forced his way up the back line and delivered a pin-accurate pass for Matt Daly to tap in. Final score 2-0 to Great Britain.

This was possibly GB’s poorest performance from the three matches, but a win is a win, and it moves the side into third place behind Australia and the Netherlands. GB men are next in action on Sunday when they play Canada.

Elsewhere in Pool B, Pakistan continued the trend at these Games for the team opening the scoring to lose the match. Shakeel Abbasi had scored in the sixteenth minute against Australia but goals by Grant Schubert, Jamie Dwyer, and Travis Brooks, gave Australia the three points. Dutchman Taeke Taekema scored a hat-trick in his sides 4-2 win over Canada, one coming from the penalty spot.

In Pool A the table is taking on a surprising complexion, with Spain out in front after their third win. They beat China 2-1. New Zealand move into second place after a 4-2 victory over Belgium, and Germany drew against Korea, pushing the world champions down into third place.
Great Britain’s women, who will be playing Japan tomorrow evening, will be without the services of Jennie Bimson (pictured). She has been forced to withdraw from the squad due to a torn calf muscle. He place will be taken by Laura Bartlett. Under the tournament rules Jennie will not be permitted to rejoin the squad even if she makes a full recovery.

Full results and tables appear on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

Round-up of Thursday's results in Beijing

Great Britain moved up to fourth place in Pool B as a result of their win over New Zealand this afternoon. They are separated on goal difference by Japan in third place. Japan lost their first match today when they were beaten 2-1 by Argentina. In the other match in the pool, leaders Germany remain the only team on maximum points after a 4-2 win over the USA. This has been a tournament where the team scoring the opening goal has often gone on to lose the match and the USA’s goal in the 27th minute by Tiffany Snow is another example.

Pool A continues to be dominated by Australia and the Netherlands, both of whom remain unbeaten. The two sides meet on Saturday in what may be the match that decides the final winner of this pool. Australia gave struggling South Africa a relatively easy time this evening with a modest 3-0 win, the goals coming from Nickie Hudson, Angela Lambert and Casey Eastham. The Netherlands’ Maartje Paumen was the only scorer in their match against China, inflicting on the hosts their first defeat of the tournament. Spain recorded their first points of the competition with a 2-1 win over Korea, their goals coming from Nuria Camon and Pilar Sanchez.

Great Britain’s men are in action tomorrow evening (Beijing time) when they play South Africa, the latter having a -15 goal difference after only two matches. The women play Japan on Saturday, followed by the USA two days later. Two wins would put GB on ten points. Argentina, in second place, have a relatively difficult match against Germany on Saturday, followed by an easier match against New Zealand on Monday. This gives rise to the distinct prospect that GB could overtake Argentina in the pool and take a semi-final place.

Full results and tables appear on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

GB NOW LOOK LIKE MEDAL CONTENDERS

The medal hopes of both Great Britain and New Zealand depended on the outcome of this match when the two women’s sides met in Beijing this afternoon. The Blacksticks on zero points and GB on a single point, meant that only a win was an acceptable result. The importance of the match impacted on the performance of both sides for much of the first half, with a tentative and nervous approach being clearly evident. But with seven minutes of play left in the first half, the match came alive when Anne Panter’s defensive stop from a New Zealand penalty corner strike left a loose ball in the circle, which Gemma Flynn pounced on and neatly slotted the ball passed Beth Storry in the GB goal. But GB were back in the match within three minutes, when a pass into the circle by Cilla Wright was lofted towards goal by Charlotte Craddock and neatly parried into the net by Alex Danson.

On the stoke of half time GB were awarded a penalty corner which was struck into the net by Anne Panter, which was immediately disallowed by Carolina de le Fuente, the Argentine umpire. Studying the replay, it is clear that the umpire penalised the shot for entering the goal above the backboard from what appeared to be a slap rather than a flick, and regrettably we have to admit that we believe that her decision was a correct one.

In the second half, it took Great Britain fifteen minutes to take the lead when a dummy strike from a penalty corner unsettled Beth Jurgeleit in the Blackstick’s goal enough for Crista Cullen to strike home. Although GB had clearly taken control of the match by this stage, New Zealand continued to have their chances. A penalty corner strike by Krystal Forgesson was parried away by Beth Storry, emphasising the importance the goalkeepers have been to both of the GB squads in this Olympics.

Final score 2-1 to Great Britain. A great effort and with two winnable matches coming up against the USA and Japan, we can perhaps now see ourselves as medal contenders.

A further report on today’s play will appear on this blog later

GREAT BRITAIN MEN GO DOWN FIGHTING

If anyone had predicted that Great Britain men could win their Olympic encounter against the Dutch they would probably have been carted off by men in white coats, so the outcome of today’s Pool B match in Beijing should not come as a surprise. However, the GB boys put in a solid performance and the final result had more than a hint of bad luck about it. But my man of the match would be goalkeeper Alistair McGregor who kept the Dutch out with more than one save at full stretch.

The Netherlands had some early scoring chances, most notably when Robert van der Horst scooped the ball over McGregor, only to see it go wide of the far post by millimetres. Matthius Brower was bundled off the ball and was awarded a penalty corner but Taeke Taekema’s strike was parried around the post by McGregor. But not all the chances went the way of the Dutch. Ben Marsden had a shot at goal that went wide and a Jackson cross was miscued by Matt Daly in front of goal. Rob Moore had a stinging shot from the edge of the ‘D’ saved by Gus Vogels in the Dutch goal.

Anyone who has watched the Dutch will know that they often use the early parts of the game to work out their opponents tactics and come back at them when they are tired, so it was very much an Dutch second half. Despite the pressure, the Great Britain boys clung onto their draw, and it was with less than 10 minutes left on the clock that tragedy struck. Timme Hong was unceremoniously bundled off the ball by the ever-robust James Tindall just inside the twenty-five. The majority of players went one way to defend the resulting penalty corner, whilst Tindall walked in the other direction and into the sin bin, where he joined Saner van der Weide, who had been binned a minute earlier. When the corner strike came, Taekema, who had so far been thwarted by McGregor or had been off target, struck true this time.

At 1-0 down, it was still not over. GB had a lucky escape when Teun de Nooijer untypically took an air shot when he was unmarked and in front of goal, and a penalty corner was well saved by McGregor. Final score 1-0 to the Netherlands but GB can take heart in the fact that they took on one of the toughest teams in the world and only lost by the smallest margin. Their next two matches are against South Africa and Canada, who they should beat if they maintain today’s performance.

In the other matches in Pool B, Australia did their goal difference no harm when they put ten passed South Africa for no reply. Canada opened the scoring against Pakistan, courtesy of Bini Kullar, but the match eventually finished 3-1 in Pakistan’s favour with goals from Muhammad Imran, Shafqat Rasool and Muhammad Waqas.

The surprise result of the day – or was it? – was when Belgian found their Manchester form in Pool A and held Germany to a 1-1 draw. Spain go to the top of the pool after Santi Freixa scored his side’s only goal in their match against New Zealand. The all-Asian affair between China and Korea ended 5-2 in Korea’s favour after the Chinese opened the scoring with two goals in as many minutes.

Full results and tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. TV schedules on the site are due to be updated later today.

Round-up of Tuesdays other results in Beijing

The second day of the women’s hockey tournament at the Olympic Games finished with Germany being the only side in Pool B on maximum points. Great Britain had drawn with Argentina this morning and a late equaliser by Kate Barber had given the USA a 1-1 draw against Japan. New Zealand had taken the lead against Germany just before half time, care of Krystal Forgesson, in the remaining Pool B match. Germany came back at them late in the second half, with Katharina Scholz and Anke Kuehn finding the net. Final score 2-1 to Germany.

Pool A is split into winners and losers, with the Netherlands, Australia and China all on maximum points. Australia retained their free-scoring form with a 6-1 win over Spain, although for the second match running they allowed their opponents to open the scoring.
Full results and tables are available on our web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Great Britain’s men will next be in action tomorrow evening (Beijing time) when they play the Netherlands. The match is being shown on BBC TV satellite channels only at 14:00 and 19:00.

THAT'S MUCH BETTER!

After a rather poor performance against Germany, the Great Britain team that took the field earlier today looked more determined than the one that had lost 5-1 on Sunday. Argentina played with their usual flair and Aymar was, as ever, a constant threat, but Danny Kerry’s girls seemed to have learnt a few lessons from the earlier match. Jo Ellis had a shot at goal saved by Paulo Vukojicic seven minutes into the match. But it was Argentina who found the net first after Helen Richardson was penalised for a heavy tackle and Agustina Garcia struck home a rebound off the post from the resulting penalty corner. Argentina made it two a few minutes before the break when Alejandra Gulla deflected the ball into the goal from a penalty corner.

Great Britain had chances to come back into the game early in the second half when there was a goalmouth scramble in front of the Argentine goal, followed by a penalty corner after Sarah Thomas had been fouled in the circle, but nothing came from them. It was a two minute golden spot midway through the half that gave GB a chance of getting back into the match. A penalty corner award allowed Sarah Thomas to deflect the ball into the Argentine net. This was followed with a series of penalty corners in quick succession which eventually led to Mel Clewlow (pictured) finding the net from a first time strike. Final score 2-2 to Great Britain.

Looking realistically at the results from the two matches, one point is better than our world ranking would dictate. A fine result against Argentina but GB will have to go some from now on to have even the slimmest hopes of being amongst the medal contenders next week.

A round up of today’s results will be posted later today plus full results and tables on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Round-up of Monday's other results in Beijing

After Great Britain’s very useful win over Pakistan this morning, matches resumed in the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing this evening.

The first of this evenings matches caused an upset when New Zealand pegged back an early lead by Korea and then went on to win the match with a hat-trick of penalty corners from Hayden Shaw. There are six places between the two teams in world rankings. Lowly Canada were no match for the Australians, although Peter Short did manage to find the net to give his side a consolation goal in their 5-1 defeat. Spain were the better of the two sides when they met the Belgians, and the Netherlands almost matched their womenfolk’s result of yesterday with a 5-0 win over South Africa.

Full results and tables can be found on our Olympic pages at our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Great Britain’s women are next in action at 08:30 Beijing time against Argentina, who were held to a surprise 2-2 draw by the USA yesterday.

GB MEN START OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN

Great Britain got off to a cracking start to their Olympic hockey tournament with a goal in under two minutes from James Tindall in their match against Pakistan. But after the opening exchanges, Pakistan seemed to have control of the match and it was only the crossbar which stopped them scoring an early equaliser. Ten minutes into the match GB found the net for the second time but the umpire had already signalled for a penalty corner moments before. Great Britain’s second goal, when it came, was off the stick of Rob Moore, who finding himself in the narrowest of spaces on the edge of the circle, quickly took a stinging reverse stick shot through a pack of players, beating Salman Akbar in the Pakistan goal. With just over ten minutes of play left before the break, Ashley Jackson took GB’s tally to three with a fine penalty corner strike.
Those of us who remember Great Britain’s recent match against Pakistan in Dublin, where GB threw away a three goal lead, were starting to fear that we were witnessing a repeat when, ten minutes into the second half, Shakeel Abbasi deflected a pass into the GB net. Fifteen minutes later Matt Daly was dispossessed by Muhammad Waqas for him to score Pakistan’s second. With ten minutes left on the clock, Great Britain clung on against an increasingly confident Pakistan, but it was GB who were to call the last shots when a penalty corner strike rebounded off Salman Akbar and was fired into the goal by Matt Daly (pictured).

Final score 4-2 to GB and an excellent start to their campaign. Their next match will be against the Netherlands on Wednesday. The women play Argentina in the first match of the day tomorrow (Tuesday).

In the earlier match today, Germany comprehensively beat China after China had taken a seven minute lead.

The results of the remaining matches today and updated tables will appear on the Olympic pages of our main web site (www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk) later today.

GERMANS SPOIL OPENING NIGHT FOR GB

Danny Kerry will have to work hard to lift his side after Great Britain’s women suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Germany in the opening match of the women’s Olympic hockey tournament. The GB girls were quick to take the offensive, with Bowdon Hightown’s Jo Ellis twice finding herself unmarked in the circle with crosses from the right. But it was the Germans who were to draw first blood with Fanny Rinne striking a penalty corner high into the top of the net. GB made an encouraging recovery when Helen Richardson managed to find a foot in the circle and Crista Cullen converted the resulting penalty corner. Germany scored their second near to the end of the half, when Eileen Hoffman found herself unmarked in the GB circle. GB had a chance of going into the second half on equal terms when 17 year-old Charlotte Craddock was tripped in the 25 yard area and a penalty corner was awarded, but the corner was well saved by Kristina Reynolds in the German goal.

Great Britain came out for the second half looking a shadow of the team that had started the match and paid the penalty when Hoffman scored her second, this time from a penalty corner. A second German goal came minutes later when Rinne scored again. The fifth and final German goal was the cruellest piece of bad luck when a shot at goal deflected off the far post to find the stick of skipper, Marion Rodewald (pictured). GB had a few last gasp hopes of snatching a consolation goal, with Sarah Thomas hitting the ball over the crossbar, and two penalty corners in overtime. But GB were not able to improve on their one goal, leaving the final score at 5-1 to Germany.
After every team in Pool B has played one match, Germany top the table, with GB bringing up the rear.

There were some surprising results in the other matches today. Korea were 4-1 up against Australia with 23 minutes left to play, but the Australians managed to recover to take the match 5-4. The USA staged a comeback against Argentina after Carla Renecchi had given the South Americans a two goal start. Goals from Keli Smith and Angela Loy gave the USA a useful 2-2 draw.

Full results and tables can be found on our web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

TalkHockeyRadio Coverage of the Olympics

Daily reports on the Olympic Hockey will start here tomorrow (Sunday).

On our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk you will find full results and tables, plus information about the GB squads and their opponents.

COURT OF ARBITRATION THROW OUT THIRD APPLICATION by Peter Savage

On the eve of the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing, the Azerbaijan Field Hockey Federation and the Azerbaijan Olympic Committee have filed a third application to the Court of Arbitration in Sport. The Court has set up an ‘ad hoc’ division in Beijing to settle disputes in the run up and during the Games. Judgements were handed down on the first and second applications as recently as the 2nd and 5th August respectively.
The original application asked the Court to overturn the decision of the FIH Disciplinary Committee in failing to disqualify the Spanish women’s hockey team from the Olympics on grounds of doping. The Court ruled that the applicants were not a competent party to make such an application as FIH disciplinary rules only permitted appeals by the parties directly involved in the original hearing. The Azerbaijanis attempted to circumnavigate this ruling by making an application to the effect that the FIH should have appealed against the decision of its own disciplinary body. This application was also dismissed.

The third application asked the court to rule that procedural fairness should have allowed the applicants to be parties to the original disciplinary hearing. The Court has dismissed this application.

We predicted that this matter would roll on and on. In a recent article on the Azerbaijan news web site Today.az it was being advocated that the Azerbaijani companies that sponsor the FIH and the European Hockey Federation (EHF), should withdraw their sponsorship in protest against the FIH decision. Their anger against the EHF seems to stem from the fact that the president of the EHF, Leandro Negre, is Spanish.

DETAILS OF THE RULING OF THE COURT OF ARBITRATION IN SPORT by Peter Savage

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled against the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee, the Azerbaijan Field Hockey Federation and a number of named Azerbaijani athletes, who brought an action against the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in relation to a doping case involving two Spanish players. A result in their favour would almost certainly have resulted in the Spanish women’s team being sent home from the Olympic Games. Their replacement would have been Azerbaijan, who were runners-up in the Olympic Qualifiers on home turf in Baku back in April.

Whilst the ruling against Azerbaijan is primarily on procedural grounds, some interesting facts have emerged from a case, which have hitherto been veiled in secrecy. Most significantly, we now know that the case against the second (unnamed) Spanish athlete was dismissed by the FIH Disciplinary Commission on the grounds that there was significant doubt that the urine sample tested was hers.

In relation to conduct of the original proceedings before the FIH Disciplinary Commission, the Court was satisfied as to the fairness of the hearing and the conclusions based on the evidence before it. However, where the Azerbaijani application to the Court has fallen down is the competency of the applicants to appeal. The FIH anti-doping policy only allows for the athletes concerned, the FIH, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency to appeal. The national governing bodies and the athletes who made the application to the Court do not come into this category.

AZERBAIJAN DOPING APPEAL DISMISSED

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed the application made by the Azerbaijan Hockey Association to have Spain removed from the Olympic Hockey Tournament for doping violations. A full report will appear on this blog later today when we have had the chance to read the judgement.

SPAIN FACE SECOND OLYMPIC BAN SCARE

With only days to go before the start of the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing, the Azerbaijan Hockey Association and the country’s national Olympic committee have applied to the Court of Arbitration for Sport challenging the FIH Judicial Commission’s decision not to take any action against the two Spanish players who tested positive for banned substances at the Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, the capital of Azerbaikan, in April this year. If the Court decides in Azerbaijan’s favour it would result in the entire Spanish women’s team being disqualified from the Games, to be replaced by Azerbaijan, who were the runners-up in the qualifier.

The Azerbaijan authorities have reacted swiftly to a seemingly perverse decision by the FIH, who decided not to apply any sanctions against Spain’s Gloria Comerma (pictured) and another unnamed player. Both were tested positive but Comerma suffered no sanctions as it was found that “there was no negligence on her part”. The second player was cleared of any wrongdoing. This was set against a background of counter-allegations by Spain regarding the conduct of their hosts in Baku.

The FIH have dealt with this matter with an unusual degree of secrecy, with little information coming out from their headquarters in Lausanne. The news that the two Spanish players were being held blameless fuelled speculation that Spain’s allegations may have been upheld. The Azerbaijani company, ATA Holdings, are major sponsors of the FIH.