With a place at the FIH Olympic qualifiers already guaranteed for Canada and Spain, the final match of the entire FIH Series Finals competition could have fizzled out into a tame affair. But this was far from the case as both teams gave their all to finish their campaigns in winning style. In the end, the host nation and top-ranked team were the stronger side on the day and, although Canada continued to impress with their strength, speed and tactical nous, it was Adrian Lock’s team that created the chances and capitalised on them to take first place. Canada will take consolation from the fact that they picked up two of the four individual awards – top scorer and young player – and they will have shifted significantly up the FIH World Rankings when they are announced. In the match for third place, Italy were the stronger side on the day and emerged as convincing winners over a South Africa team that had given its all the previous day. Match 19 Italy v South Africa With the two teams so closely matched in the FIH World Rankings and both teams still hurting from their respective losses to Canada and Spain in the semi-finals the previous day, this match between Italy (WR:17) and South Africa (WT:15) was always going to be a hard-hitting encounter. In the early exchanges, captain Chiara Tiddi was magnificent in the Italian midfield, striding the length of the pitch, distributing the ball when her team were in attack and mopping up anything that came near her. Both teams had early chances to take the lead, but a penalty corner apiece came to nothing. Towards the end of the quarter a beautifully weighted ball from Kirsten Paton found Nomnikelo Veto with only the Italian goalkeeper to beat but Natalia Schinoni stood up and held the South African striker at bay until her defence arrived. It was the Italian ‘keeper who kept her side in the match in the first half as South Africa fired in some fierce penalty corner shots. Her counterpart, Phumelela Mbande, also had her chance to demonstrate her excellent reactions when she pulled off a save late in the second quarter. The very hot temperature was taking its toll on the players as they came out for the second half. Both teams play a very physical game and these final 30 minutes of play were going to take a supreme effort by the athletes. It was Italy who had clearly decided they needed to get a grip on the game in the next 15 minutes and suddenly the game took on a different complexion. Driven on by the ceaseless running of Maryna Vynohradova and ably backed up by Elisabetta Pacella, Italy started to look the more confident side. Pressure was rewarded by three goals in four minutes. The first two came from almost identical penalty corners, with the ball being swept in by first Giuliana Ruggieri and then Lara Oviedo. The third goal was pure class. The move began with the dancing feet of Pacella as she skipped past the South African sticks before passing to Eugenia Bianchi, who had no hesitation shooting past Phumelela. South Africa got a consolation goal through Taryn Glasby but the disappointment of the previous day, combined with the ferocity of the Italian attack in the second half of the match, had put this game out of the African team’s reach. “We wanted to prove we were a different team to the one you saw yesterday,” said Italy’s captain Chiara Tiddi. “That is the beauty of tournament hockey, you can put a bad performance behind you and play better the next day. “It was difficult today because we had run a lot in the match against Canada yesterday, and we had not run smartly. But we put in the effort and once we had scored the first goal, we relaxed. This tournament, and today’s win, is an important step for our team.” Italy 3, South Africa 1 Umpires: Emma Shelbourn (ENG), Catalina Montesino (CHI). Match 20 Canada v Spain A busy, frenetic and high quality first 15 minutes of the final match of this competition saw Spain take the lead after a devastating turn of speed by Begona Garcia left the opposition trailing in her wake. Marta Segu was on hand to put the ball in the net after Garcia’s initial shot was saved. Canada came straight back with their own sustained period of pressure and Sara McManus was able to strike a penalty corner with her usual unstoppable force to bring the scores to 1-1. Spain then took up the mantle with some great attacking play. One attempt at goal hit the post and rebounded to safety but seconds later a mis-hit penalty corner from Clara Ycart saw the ball slip under Kaitlyn William’s foot to give Spain the lead again. After the quarter break, Canada again brought the scores level. A great run by Kate Wright resulted in a pass that flew past the face of the Spanish goal and Brienne Stairs made no mistake to score her eighth goal of the competition. In this rapid-fire game, Spain re-took the lead when Lola Riera sent the ball flying into William’s net to make it 3-2. In the second half, the Spanish side began to take control of the match and Canada looked like a side that had reached the end of their energy levels. A fourth goal was scored from yet another penalty corner, this time by Carmen Cano to give Spain a two goal advantage. This would have been extended further but for a magnificent save by Williams in the Canada goal. “I am really happy,” said Spain Head Coach Adrian Lock. “We got better through the tournament. We have a few new players so that didn’t help too much and they needed bedding in. But through the tournament we grew and grew and each game got better. The Wales game was a turning point and we took

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Canada turned on the style as they hit seven goals past a shell-shocked Italy to seal a place in the final of the FIH Series Finals, as well as an all-important ticket to the FIH Olympic qualifiers later this year. South Africa were also looking for that all important semi-final win but it was not to be for the plucky African nation as they fell to a Begona Garcia penalty corner just six minutes from the final whistle.  The celebrations among the Spanish team and the fans in the stadium, and the despair of the South Africans, were an indication of just what this match meant to everyone involved. The result means Canada will play Spain in the final, while South Africa and Italy will contest third place. Match 17 Canada v Italy Both teams sang their hearts out at their respective national anthems and they gave their all in the match but, in the end it was Canada (WR:21) who steamrolled over Italy (WR:17) taking this game, and a place in the FIH Olympic qualifiers, with an emphatic victory over their high-ranked rivals. Canada began on the front foot and a warning as to their attacking intentions came when Natalie Sourisseau drove into the circle and smashed the ball against the side of the Italian goal. The first quarter was end-to-end stuff as Canada threw everything at the Italian defence, including some impressive 3D skills from Brienne Stairs, but Italy’s experienced duo of Chiara Tiddi and Celina Traverso at the heart of their defence meant the European team were able to take some of the heat from the Canada ‘Wolf Pack’ attack. At the other end of the field, the Canadian defence of Shanlee Johnston, Sara McManus and Danielle Hennig was proving equally effective as they shut down the Italian forays up the pitch, which were spearheaded by Maryna Vynohradova and Jasbeer Singh. It was in the final minute of the quarter that the breakthrough came. The first penalty corner of the match fell to Canada and Sara McManus made no mistake as she shot the ball home with precision and speed. It was Italy’s turn in the second quarter as they won two quick penalty corners. Kaitlyn Williams saved the first – a straight shot from Tiddi – and the second was chased down by a determined Canada defence. Canada’s second goal was sheer genius. Stairs showed some incredible stick skills to weave through the midfield. Her pass found Rachel Donohoe, who shot home on the reverse to give her side a 2-0 lead. The game got tastier as the half counted down with both teams working hard to get the next goal. Italy were driving hard at the Canada defence but any mazy run by a speedy blue shirted player was met by a barrier of strong Canadian sticks. Stairs was the next to get her name on the score-sheet – a goal that moved her to joint top of the goal-scoring table. Her crisp turn and shot, following sustained circle pressure by her team mates, left Natalia Schinoni unable to react in time and the ball flew into the net to give the North American team an unassailable lead. The second half brought more pressure from Canada and for the first few minutes Italy seemed clean out of ideas. A speculative ball by Holly Stewart nearly gave Canada a fourth goal and the play just summed up her team’s approach – this was a team supremely confident in their own game. Canada won two successive penalty corners and, although Italy dealt with the first, the second was a rocket of a shot that truly put them match beyond Italy. Karli Johansen was the scorer – a just reward for the shift she had put in at the heart of the Canada defence. Italy threw everything they could at Canada in the final 15 minutes. Another well-struck Tiddi penalty corner was saved by Williams as she dived to her right. And for a few minutes Canada were forced to defend. But this is a new resolute Canada and, after weathering the Italian storm, they scored their fifth, a beautifully taken penalty corner from the stick of Karli Johansen. The sixth goal came as Donohoe ran around the back of the defence and her shot bounced from an Italian stick into the goal to give her side an emphatic 6-0 lead. And the icing on the cake came for Hannah Haughn who was on hand to score Canada’s seventh goal just one minute before the final whistle. “This moment means everything. We’ve moved to Belgium, we’ve moved from our partners and homes and we have lost our funding,” said an emotional Hannah Haughn. “So this moment for us means everything. We have come through the highs and lows and come out on top. “We were looking to play Canadian hockey because we have been building up to this moment for almost two years now. We wanted to build up and play smart balls and I am so happy we were able to do that today. We have been about gritty defence in the past but now we are playing a forward-playing style and it was incredible to see so many goal in the net today.” Canada 7, Italy 0 (semi-final) Umpires: Wanri Venter (RSA), Emma Shelbourn (ENG)  Match 18 South Africa v Spain The host nation Spain (WR:7) started this must-win match the sharper and were rewarded with a penalty corner in the fifth minute. South Africa’s goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande was alert to the danger of the deflected shot and cleared well but Spain continued to pile on the pressure in the early stages of this game. South Africa (WR:15), for their part, were easing themselves into the game, playing the ball conservatively around the pitch and attempting to force their opponents wide when they were chasing possession. In these early exchanges Spain were the more inventive. Aerial balls from deep in the defence set up attacks and the

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Lausanne, Switzerland: The President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, has been elected IOC member at the 134th session of the International Olympic Committee today in Lausanne. While the appointment of Dr. Batra as candidate for this position was linked to his function as President of the Indian Olympic Association, this is great news for hockey and its status within the international sports family. “I feel both honored and energised to be charged with this high responsibility. I can assure everybody of my highest commitment to promote the Olympic values and develop sport globally. In addition to my passion for sport and my experience in the management of sport’s institutions, I’m also a firm believer that sport is one of the very few universal languages that has the power to unite people. I will make sure that the values of hockey, in particular our #EquallyAmazing principle, are always central to my work,” stated Dr. Batra upon his election. Dr. Batra was elected as FIH President at the 45th Congress in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in November 2016. He had been a member of the Executive Board since the 2014 FIH Congress. In 2014, Dr. Batra was given the FIH President’s Award in recognition of his long and valuable services to hockey. Since December 2017, he has been the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a position for which he was elected thanks to his long-time involvement in the management of hockey in India, primarily. Source: FIH

Belarus played a strong, disciplined game to overcome a battling Wales in the race for fifth place at the FIH Series Finals in Valencia. A 2-0 lead looked to be enough until Wales mounted a last-ditch effort in the final quarter, but Belarus held firm to win 2-1 and finish in fifth position. Wales finish sixth. In the earlier match, Thailand beat Namibia 2-1 to take seventh place in the competition. Highlights of an entertaining match were the two goals by Thailand’s captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak and the consistently good performance, under immense pressure, of Namibia’s goalkeeper Petro Stoffberg. Match 15 Namibia v Thailand Coming into this match playing for seventh place at the FIH Series Finals, neither team had won a match and only Namibia (FIH World Ranking:42) had scored a goal – albeit against the highest ranked team, Spain. But both teams were determined to end their tournament experience on a high and so the game was open and attacking from the first whistle. The first quarter was very much spilt between Namibia controlling the first part of the quarter and Thailand (WR:28) dominating the second. And it was Thailand who opened the scoring during that period of sustained pressure, with captain Tikhampon Sakulpithak picking up the ball on the edge of the circle and striking a fierce shot which flew past Petro Stoffberg in the Namibia goal. Thailand had a chance to increase their score at the start of the second quarter when they won their first penalty corner but Namibia’s defence was strong and they cleared well. Led by the ever-busy Magreth Mengo, Namibia sought a way to break down the Thailand defence and create their own scoring opportunities. That chance came with Namibia’s first penalty corner of the match but the shot was chased down. A second corner was awarded but Thailand were not letting their lead slip easily and they were soon playing the ball in the Namibia half again. As the half continued, so Thailand began to look more like a team with a winning mentality. The players were happy to run at the African team’s defence, with Thanaporn Tongkham and Kornkanok Sanpoung particularly causing problems in the circle. The second goal was also scored by Sakulpithak, who made a strong run around the back of the Namibian circle before unleashing a shot into the Namibian goal. The second half saw both teams determined to leave everything on the pitch. Sakulpithak came close to scoring her third goal but her shot flew over the cross bar. But, despite a lot of Thai pressure, it was Namibia who scored next. Some good pressure around the Thailand circle saw Joane van Rooyen start the move that led to the goal. Her pass found Dure Boshoff who showed tremendous strength to keep possession and slip to Kiana-Che Cormack. The 17-year-old made certain that her shot was buried in Siraya Yimrajang’s goal to make it 2-1. “We are disappointed with that loss because we wanted to go out with a win and get our rankings high,” said Jerrica Bartlett, “But we fought until the end and our scoreline in the past few games do not reflect what we played like. We are a young side, our average age is 18, so this is an awesome experience. All we can do is grow from here.” Bartlett’s sister, Kiana-Che Cormack added: “Scoring felt amazing. It doesn’t happen often when you are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. It was a tough match, so scoring kept us in the match.” Double goalscorer Tikhamporn Sakulpithak said: “I am very proud of the team. We played really well and I was very pleased to score the goals but it was a great effort by everyone in the team.” Supansa Samanso added: “The first feeling was that we had to win that game. We wanted to leave the FIH Series Final with a win. For future tournaments, we have learnt that when we go into the lead we have to keep pushing for more goals.” Namibia 1, Thailand 2 (7/8th play-off) Umpires: Dahiya Deepa (IND), Ines El Hajim (FRA)  Match 16 Wales v Belarus In the battle for fifth place Belarus (WR:20) looked the stronger team in the opening stages, creating more attacking opportunities. But Wales (WR:27) had learnt a lot about defending under pressure from their encounter with Spain the previous day and, in those early exchanges, the team broke down the Belarus attack and played the ball calmly out of their defending circle. It was Wales who won the first penalty corner but their usual slick routine fell down under the strong running of the Belarus defence. The second quarter took a similar pattern as the Belarus team looked to swing the ball swiftly and strongly around the pitch, while Wales defended with huge amounts of discipline and then looked to catch their higher-ranked opponents on the break. Belarus continued to push and their persistence paid off as they won two consecutive penalty corners. The second of these was well-converted by Krestina Papkova to give Belarus a 1-0 lead. It also moved the talented goalscorer to the top of the goalscoring table. Urged forward by hard-working captain Leah Wilkinson, who recently became her country’s highest capped sports player, Wales won their second penalty corner. Again, the usually reliable not-so-secret weapon let the team down and Belarus was able to counter attack with a speedy surge up the pitch by Ulyana Kasabutskaya. Xenna Hughes was the next to show a devastating turn of speed. The attacking midfielder tore up the pitch but her cross was cut out by Maryna Navitskaya in the Belarus goal. The game definitely turned the way of Belarus just ahead of the half-time break. A penalty corner was awarded and Maryna Nikitsina was on hand to volley the ball home. In the second half, Wales tried everything they could to break the stranglehold that Belarus had upon the game. Two searching crosses by, first Eloise Laity and then Wilkinson, would

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