How are the England groups performing in FIH Hockey Professional?

The FIH Professional League is likely one of the largest and most celebrated worldwide subject hockey competitions. It’s organised by the Worldwide Hockey Federation (FIH) and replaces the earlier FIH Hockey World League. The competitors typically serves because the qualifier for each the Hockey World Cup and the Olympic Video games.

The league attracts the world’s finest males’s and ladies’s nationwide hockey groups.

The 2021 – 2022 occasion is the third version of the championship competitors, it started in October 2021, and it’s set to return to its finale in June this yr. Whereas initially there have been 9 groups scheduled to play within the match, world occasions prompted some disruption to Hockey Professional plans.

Each Australia and New Zealand had been compelled to drop out of the competitors as a consequence of journey restrictions in these international locations. Consequently, Canada and South Africa each joined of their place within the males’s facet in December 2021.

Nevertheless, the Canadian groups had been additionally compelled to withdraw as a consequence of journey restrictions and France had been ultimately named of their place in January of this yr. The present groups now collaborating within the match are as follows:

Within the males’s competitors, present groups embrace: Argentina, Belgium, England, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, South Africa and Spain.

Within the ladies’s competitors, present groups embrace: Argentina, Belgium, China, England, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain and the USA.

Every crew performs in opposition to every element twice throughout the season, enjoying 16 video games in complete. On this competitors, as an alternative one enjoying one dwelling recreation and one away recreation, crew hosts are rotated on a bi-annual foundation.

So, if England performed India, they’d play two video games in England one yr after which the 2 video games in India the next season.

What’s occurring within the 2021 – 2022 match in the intervening time?

At this level within the match, on the lads’s facet probably the most objectives have been scored by India, probably the most penalty stroke objectives by France and probably the most penalty nook objectives additionally by India. On the ladies’s facet, Argentina have probably the most complete objectives and probably the most penalty nook objectives, whereas India have probably the most penalty stroke objectives.

The league’s high scorers are at present India’s Harmanpreet Singh, Netherlands’ Thierry Brinkman and England’s Nicholas Bandurak. Within the ladies’s league the highest scorers are Argentinian gamers Agustina Gorzelany and Victoria Granatto and Netherlands’ Yibbi Jansen.

Unsurprisingly, within the males’s, India are high of the chief board, adopted intently by Argentina after which Germany, Netherlands and France. Argentina are forward on the ladies’s facet, adopted by India, Netherlands and Germany

Fan’s will likely be watching the scores very intently over the subsequent few weeks. And with many international locations have relaxed playing legislation, many followers decide to position bets on skilled hockey matches, including one other layer of pleasure and suspense to the competitors. There are actually extra handy methods of inserting a sports activities guess with most UK gamblers heading on-line to one of many new sports activities betting suppliers out there or a effectively established sportsbook who provide hockey particular bets.

So, who’s competing for England and the way are they acting at this level?

Ladies’s Hockey League

The ladies’s England crew aren’t afraid of powerful competitors, having gained the silver medal 3 times on the Commonwealth Video games. Coached by David Ralph and assistant coaches Katie Glynn and Jody Paul, the crew at present has a rating of 4 within the FIH.

They’ve to this point performed in 10 video games on this yr’s FIH Hockey Professional, scoring two wins, three loses, one draw and one SO-bonus. The matches between India and the England Ladies’s crew had been initially scheduled on 2 and three April in Bhubaneswar, India, however had been cancelled. It was due to this fact determined between the FIH and the 2 nations that the six out there factors for these matches had been awarded to India.

The goalkeepers enjoying on this league are Maddie Hinch and Miriam Pritchard. The crew’s general finest scorer is ahead Lily Owsley, initially from Bristol, who at 27 years previous has scored a complete of 38 objectives.

The crew’s captain is Hollie Pearne-Webb, MBE, she is well-known for scoring the successful penalty within the 2016 Olympic closing in Rio de Janeiro.

The crew are at present in fifth place and have China, Spain, Netherlands and Belgium left to play. Whereas first place is probably not in straightforward attain, the England ladies’s crew may nonetheless realistically purpose for a high three spot.

Males’s Hockey League

Over the lads’s recreation, England have performed in eight video games, successful three, drawing one and dropping 4. They’re at present ranked eighth in the league desk and nonetheless have France, South Africa, Netherlands and Belgium left to play.

On the crew is midfielder Harry Martin, who has made 237 appearances in England and Nice Britain. There may be additionally Henry Weir, who has scored six objectives in 185 appearances.

In February, the England males’s crew thrashed Spain within the first recreation 1 – 6 in Valencia. In April they managed to attract 3 – 3 with league champions India in Bhubaneswar. They’ve but to duplicate the power and focus proven within the Spain 1 – 6, however with numerous matches left there may be nonetheless the chance to climb a number of locations up the league desk.