NationStates Jolt Archive

(This is a placeholder due to in-post ads. Refer to post #2 for full list of entrants and how this will work.)

Welcome to the second World Championship in Field Hockey, aka Field Hockey World Cup #14.

For those unfamiliar with field hockey, you may refer to the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey) on it.

Games last for 70 minutes (35 minutes each way). For the purposes of this tournament each team must field a minimum of 8 players on the pitch at the start of each match, although the standard is 11. Rolling substitutions will be used, 5 may be named for each match.

In pool play, a win will count for three points and a draw for one. In the knockout rounds, if a game is tied after 70 minutes a golden-goal (sudden death) extra time period will be played until a team scores, or until 15 minutes of such is played, at which point both teams will settle the game on penalty strokes (similar to football's penalty shootout).

When posting your roster/squads, please include the following information:
Style modifier (-5 most defensive to +5 most attacking)

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers - Y/N
Godmod goalscoring events - Y/N
Injure my players - Y/N
Godmod injury events - Y/N
Give my players disciplinary cards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey#Warnings_and_suspensions) - Y/N


List of teams signed up (15):
Liventia
Nethertopia
Candelaria And Marquez
Lovisa
Taeshan
Kura-Pelland
Greal
Kjomasasopia
Quintessence of Dust
South Wickland
Peisandros
Cruitberg
Lurikastan
Sarzonia
Capitalizt SLANI

Rankings after the first WCFH can be found here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=14222740&postcount=1).

There will be three pools of five teams; the top two in each group plus the two best third place teams will move on to the quarter-finals. The teams will play each other in their own pool once.

The draw will be conducted on Saturday, 28 February.

Kura-Pelland's team are raring to go in what should be a fascinating World Championship in Field Hockey. After controversy surrounded the first event, much of it involving Kura-Pelland and now-famous official Louisa Giles (not going to this event except perhaps as spectator), there are hopes for the team to progress, perhaps win, and do it quieter thank you very much.

Two new young players provide the attention, 21-year-old goalkeeper Fraser Cottee and 20-year-old attacker Chester Walia - not least because they are two of only three black players in the squad, although they themselves desperately want to avoid being labelled as such. High hopes are placed on them though, not least in the black communities around the country who have often seen hockey as a white middle-class sport and 'not for them'. Cottee himself admitted that 'this is our chance to make hockey a sport for all of us, just as soccer is'.

The knockout round will be conducted as a double-elimination tournament.

There are only 6 ranked teams in the 15 entrants. Their ranks are noted in parenthesis next to their names.

Pool A:
Kura-Pelland (4)
Taeshan (7)
Sarzonia
Greal
Nethertopia

Pool B:
Candelaria And Marquez (1)
Lovisa (9)
Cruitberg
South Wickland
Kjomasasopia

Pool C:
Capitalizt SLANI (11)
Liventia (2)
Peisandros
Lurikastan
Quintessence of Dust

Schedule (times are UTC):
MD1: Sunday 1 March 1v5, 2v4, 3 bye
MD2: Monday 2 March 1v2, 3v5, 4 bye
MD3: Tuesday 3 March 1v4, 2v3, 5 bye
MD4: Thursday 5 March 2v5, 3v4, 1 bye
MD5: Friday 6 March 1v3, 4v5, 2 bye

Quarterfinals: Sunday 8 March A1 v best third, B1 v other third, C1 v A2, B2 v C2
Losing bracket round 1: Monday 9 March
Winning bracket round 1: Monday 9 March
Losing bracket round 2: Tuesday 10 March
Losing bracket round 3: Wednesday 11 March
Winning bracket final: Wednesday 11 March
Losing bracket final: Thursday 12 March

World Championship final: Saturday 14 March

Liventia squad for the 2nd World Championship in Field Hockey:

Style modifier is +3

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers - Y
Godmod goalscoring events - N
Injure my players - Y
Godmod injury events - N
Give my players disciplinary cards - Y

Head coach: Tim Carrero

Starting eleven:
Adam Bradshaw (goalkeeper)
Nick Flynn
Leon Farrell
Harvey Curtis
Zak Stokes
Alex Jackson
Nicholas McDonald
Ewan Gardner
Henry Potter
Dylan Mellor
Tom Clemence

Substitutes/reserves (first five are main subs): Michael Moss (goalkeeper), Francis Thorpe, Sam Preston, Sam Burke, Riley Coleman; Harry Davis (goalkeeper), Kyle Crawford, Fred Dodd

Sarzonia Stars

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers - Y
Godmod goalscoring events - N
Injure my players - Y
Godmod injury events - N
Give my players disciplinary cards - Y
Godmod other events - N
Style modifier: +1

Coach: Chris Marchment
Marchment returns to the international scene after serving as Sarzonia's field hockey coach the first time it fielded a team. That team was known as the Streaks. This one has been named the Stars.

Assistant Coach: Harry Cartwright
Cartwright coached the former Sarzonian colony of Talzeckia during its improbable run to fourth place in the 11th World Cup of Field Hockey. After retirement, he agreed to serve as an assistant coach to Marchment.

Roster
GOALKEEPERS
1 Matt Marchment, 23, goalkeeper. 5-11, 175 pounds (Woodstock Miracle)
The newly established Sarzonian national league has only four teams, but the Woodstock Miracle have served as the league's standard bearer, winning 11 of the 12 regular season matches so far. Marchment, the son of coach Chris Marchment, is undefeated in 10 matches as the Miracle's goalkeeper.
30 Dave Finney, 24, goalkeeper. 6 feet, 205 pounds (Portland Power)
Finney served as the starter for Sarzonia's last World Cup team and led it to a fourth place finish. He came into training camp out of shape and it cost him his job.

DEFENCE
2 Kevin Faulkner, 27. 5-foot-10, 165 pounds (Nicksia Nobles)
Led the league in minutes played as he did in college. Admitted to "losing his lunch" before the first fixture of the World Championships due to nerves, even though he donned a Sarzonia kit previously.
4 Bill Houlder, 28. 6-foot-2, 215 pounds (Ravenna Rollers)
A big, burly defender, he often uses his size to his advantage. Sometimes, that draws disciplinary cards or penalty strokes. Still trying to gain experience.
5 Casey Johnson, 33, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds (Ravenna Rollers)
A mainstay of the most senior , he usually has marking responsibilities for the opposing team's top forwards. Team captain.
8 Cal Thompson, 31, 5-foot-9, 150 pounds (Portland)
This 26 year old has been playing field hockey since he could pick up a stick. Has great offensive capabilities and often shifts into more of an attacking midfield role when Marchment sends in a defensive player late in the match.
9 Ken Harvey, 25, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds (Woodstock)
Pure speed, but limited technique mean that Marchment will look to keep him on the bench unless he's absolutely needed.
11 Ben Adams, 24, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds (Nicksia)
Adams often shuts down opposing forwards and attacking midfielders. Still needs to work into match fitness before Marchment will start him.

MIDFIELDERS:
7 Jonathan Candele, 27, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds (Nicksia)
Set a school record at the University of New Isselmere for assists in a season with 19 and added four goals. He is good at distributing the ball, but is lax defensively at times.
10 Brad Ritchie, 31, 5-foot-8, 170 pounds (Portland)
He will be looked upon to provide some steadying leadership for the team since he has been a team captain on his team before. He is known for being aggressive defensively and has spent a lot of time in the penalty box.
12 Jordan Diehl, 28, 6-foot-3, 201 pounds (Woodstock)
Diehl is known for a deadly accurate left-handed shot from the wings, but struggles in the middle or as a right sided midfielder. Probably the best all-around player on the team.
13 Quentin Barker, 22, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Joe Gibbs University
Barker played heads-and shoulders above the other midfielders in his spot. He has some of the best offensive moves of anyone on the team and the hardest shot on the team. Scored a school record 26 goals for Townshend Community College and fell one goal short of the Joe Gibbs University record for goals with 29.
14 Hayden Jeffries, 26, 6-foot-1, 210 pounds (Portland)
Known as a class player and for working starters hard in practice, he will likely be the first player off the bench for Marchment.
15 Carson Manchester, 25, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds (Woodstock)
Elected not to go to a four year university and signed with a semipro team after community college. He may go in to play midfield if Marchment sends Barker to join the attack.

FORWARDS
3 Jody Johansson, 28, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds (Nicksia)
Scored a league leading 38 goals for Nicksia. As a pure striker, needs service from a playmaking midfielder to be effective.
16 Cory Denton, 25, 5-foot-11, 195 pounds (Woodstock)
Can serve as distributing midfielder in a pinch, but is better suited to playing up front since defense is not his strong suit.
17 Paul Linden, 26, 5-foot-9, 155 (Portland)
Tremendous bench player, but struggles when he starts up front. Scored eight goals in a reserve role for PHC.
18 Jake Lamar, 28, 6-foot-4, 215 pounds (Woodstock)
Can play either midfield or forward, but with a shortage of pure forwards, he is on the roster in that position. Also can use his physical nature to his advantage.

Matchday One scores

Pool A
Kura-Pelland 4-1 Nethertopia
Taeshan 2-0 Greal
Sarzonia bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Kura-Pelland 1 1 0 0 4 1 3 3
2 Taeshan 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
3 Sarzonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Greal 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0
5 Nethertopia 1 0 0 1 1 4 -3 0

Pool B
Candelaria And Marquez 2-0 Kjomasasopia
Lovisa 2-1 South Wickland
Cruitberg bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Candelaria And Marquez 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
2 Lovisa 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3
3 Cruitberg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 South Wickland 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
5 Kjomasasopia 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0

Pool C
Capitalizt SLANI 1-1 Quintessence of Dust
Liventia 2-0 Lurikastan
Peisandros bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Liventia 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 3
2 Quintessence of Dust 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
3 Capitalizt SLANI 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
4 Peisandros 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Lurikastan 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0

A very routine 4-1 victory for Kura-Pelland against Nethertopia - goodness, even the C&M fans will have cheered that one, probably - marked Kura-Pelland out as potential favourites.

Goals from Michael Wilson (twice), Chester Walia and Mark Steiner secured victory, although the late consolation Nethertopia scored should never have been allowed to happen.

'We were sloppy and complacent at the end, but we could probably afford to be,' coach Tim Bolton said. 'But we need to play at 100% all game against the better teams.'

Taeshan, the other team in the pool with past experience, overcame Greal 2-0 in an almost equally routine win.

Chris Marchment gathered his team after Nethertopia fell to Kura-Pelland 4-1.

Actually, the team had already been in the same room watching the match. Since Nethertopia was their next opponent, the Stars intended to watch to see what Kura-Pelland would do.

It wasn't pretty for people cheering for Nethertopia. Marchment immediately had a thought and decided to warn his team.

"They're going to come at us harder," he said. "After that loss, they're going to look to bury their next opponent. And guess what, guys? That's us."

The Stars would have to play four straight matches since their bye came on Matchday 1. The other team in Sarzonia's Pool A that would have to play four straight fixtures was Taeshan, which wouldn't get a bye until Matchday 5. Marchment cursed his team's luck, especially since it was their first competition in years.

"We don't get any favours from the organisers," Marchment said. "With that in mind, we're going to have to be judicious about how hard we train the lads during gaps between matches."

He hoped he could somehow squeeze a playoff appearance from this bunch, but he wanted to remain realistic. Sarzonia didn't have the heritage for field hockey that other nations did. That would definitely work against them.

Candelaria And Marquez Blue Sticks Roster for WCFH2/FHWC14

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers - Y
Godmod goalscoring events - N
Injure my players - Y
Godmod injury events - Y
Give my players disciplinary cards - Y
Godmod other events - Y
Style modifier: -2

Head Coach: Ross Cooney, 62, retired air-conditioning engineer and WCFH1 title-winning coach, from Le Thipp Judek nr Clotaire.

Assistant Coach: Emelina García, 47, personal trainer and Olympic gold medal-wining coach with the C&M women’s team, from Castillo.

GOALKEEPERS
1. Ian Collins, 29, builder from Bulent nr Albrecht
12. Hayley Cavanagh, 23, accountant from Alvery [Gassett College graduate; woman]

DEFENDERS
15. Lauren Simpson, 23, business development consultant from Albrecht [right defender/midfielder; woman]
3. Francisco Lozano, 20, sports science student from Albrecht [central defender]
13. Jonni Yongchaiyudh, 22, sports science student from Arrigo [central defender; Gassett College student; woman]
2. Danny Clayton, 28, accountant from Abiodun [left/right defender]

7. Arianna Lawson, 25, odds complier from Greater Arrigo [central defender; woman]
26. Mark Drumond, 22, catering assistant from Webley [central defender]
30. Grantham McGovern, 30, copy editor from nr Allemali [left/central defender/midfielder]

MIDFIELDERS
6. Pip Johnstone, 24, senior markets planner from Albrecht [left/central midfielder/striker]
8. Mallory Edwards, 21, politics student from Lavange [central midfielder; Gassett College student; woman]
9. Leandro Etorena, 28, architect from Onwere [right midfielder/striker; captain]
25. Grey Hanford, 30, school sports coach from Bawell nr Maidment [left/central midfielder]

5. Antonia Reyes, 22, dynamic optimisation manager from Castillo [right/left/central midfielder; woman]
20. David Johnson, 23, web designer from nr Alvery [left midfielder/striker]

FORWARDS
10. Alex Fox, 30, financial risk manager from La Basílica
13. Caine Roeken, 28, mechanic from September City [Nethertopian-born, Thoth Town resident]

16. Joanna Terry, 21, food technician from nr Castillo

The Albrecht Herald Online>Sport>Minority Sports>Field Hockey
A decade on, dream team duo call for calm
By Randy Sampson

The Blue Sticks opened their World Championship in Field Hockey defence this morning with a thoroughly professional 2-0 win over Kjomasasopia, relaxing nerves and threatening to build new hype around C&M’s most over-achieving of national teams.

The vagaries of fluid time have determined that it has been ten years since Ross Cooney and his team lifted the title over Liverpool England – a fact that in itself underlines just how long the wait has been for the opportunity to retain their crown – and the squad bears a rather different look. Only three players – Fox, Etorena and Roeken – return from Cooney’s first group of eighteen amateurs; a total of eight from his side that contested the Olympic Games in Columbia. Complete newcomers include ‘keeper Collins and defender Lozano, but seven more faces all attract rather more attention by dint of being female.

The notion that sportswomen are capable of competing alongside and against male counterparts at the highest level was introduced to the Candelarias only with the advent of C&M’s involvement in international sport, with the successes of the Jeruselemites and their ilk a call to action for all those involved in girl’s sport across the islands. Today, this natural equality is taken almost for granted, but this will be the first Candelariasian senior national team to truly test the theory, with the presence of more than half a dozen gold medal winners from Columbia; young women such as Mallory Edwards and Jonni Yongchaiyudh, given starting roles against Kjomasasopia, who helped light up Team C&M’s Olympics and now have the opportunity to become nationwide stars twice over.

“This [tournament] really is about that much more than lifting the trophy,” Edwards told the Herald last week, “even if that’s obviously our main concern, our main focus. None of us [the squad’s female players] have any separate agendas or anything, we’re all in this for the country and the whole team and the [development of field hockey] in the Candelarias… but, naturally, we know that we could really make a massive breakthrough here. Clearly everyone back home knows and cherishes their sportswomen just as much as the guys, and maybe even more so. You only have to look at the heroine’s welcome Katie [Pettit] and Molly [Hatchell] received after coming back from Kelssek last month, never mind all of us at the summer games.

“But there’s that lingering doubt, I think everyone has it, that we and they are honestly capable of competing on a level playing field. It’s the final frontier for sportswomen in the Candelarias, the final prejudice. Ten years ago, when I was watching Alex and Leo and the guys out here on TV, I’d never have imagined it’d be possible for me, or any of the girls, to be out here now as part of the squad. And if we can go all the way… it’s just such a huge step, and of course, at the back of our minds, there’s pressure there. This is big.”

For the sport also, success of any kind in Liventia could break new ground for field hockey back home, something that captain Leandro Etorena is well aware of. “I wouldn’t say people have forgotten what happened ten years ago,” he explains, “but it’s fair to say [that] the reaction to us winning wasn’t quite what we had maybe anticipated. People felt it was a fluke, perhaps, and obviously there was everything that happened in Orean, and then everything that happened with Donny, and it wasn’t as though we were ever in this to be celebrities or anything, but it’s still a crazy situation when Louisa Giles is the most famous figure to have emerged from that tournament. We’d though we’d get professionalism out of this, we thought we’d be the next big thing, our sport at any rate, but… this time, if we can capture the public mood, you never know what could happen. This is our futures we’re playing for, really, certainly for the younger kids out here, anyway.”

It remains notable that talk across the board is still all about a Blue Sticks title charge, reflecting C&M’s status as first seeds and one of the favourites. Cooney and García have been more cautious, openly admitting their team’s involvement in a ‘piss-easy’ group. Following the opener Etorena, who scored both his country’s goals against Kjomasasopia, was keen to admit as much. “We’re not taking the group lightly, that’d be daft, but we’re aware that qualification shouldn’t be a problem, in all honesty. If we mess this up, we really have messed things up, and that knowledge brings pressures of its own.

“The big guns are definitely elsewhere, as much as Cruitberg and the likes are uncertain quantities. Kura-Pelland made thumping the Nethies so easy, and if they’re just getting warmed up like they say, well… They’re going to be the ones to beat. But Sarzonia haven’t entered the fray yet, and we’ve all heard good things about them, too. And the hosts, inevitably. Through Taeshan into the mix, and the number of teams that really have a chance of winning this is small, but that was always the case in field hockey, right back in the day, to the Belmorians and Progressans and Rejistanians and so forth. We are part of the elite now, and I’d just be fibbing if I said I wasn’t confident about us putting up a good showing, amateurs or not. It’s just so important that we do, for so many people’s sakes.”

Matchday Two scores

Pool A
Kura-Pelland 4-0 Taeshan
Sarzonia 5-1 Nethertopia
Greal bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Kura-Pelland 2 2 0 0 8 1 7 6
2 Sarzonia 1 1 0 0 5 1 4 3
3 Taeshan 2 1 0 1 2 4 -2 3
4 Greal 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0
5 Nethertopia 2 0 0 2 2 9 -7 0

Pool B
Candelaria And Marquez 4-0 Lovisa
Cruitberg 4-2 Kjomasasopia
South Wickland bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Candelaria And Marquez 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 6
2 Cruitberg 1 1 0 0 4 2 2 3
3 Lovisa 2 1 0 1 2 5 -3 3
4 South Wickland 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
5 Kjomasasopia 2 0 0 2 2 6 -4 0

Pool C
Capitalizt SLANI 0-4 Liventia
Peisandros 8-1 Quintessence of Dust
Lurikastan bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Liventia 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 6
2 Peisandros 1 1 0 0 8 1 7 3
3 Capitalizt SLANI 2 0 1 1 1 5 -4 1
4 Quintessence of Dust 2 0 1 1 2 9 -7 1
5 Lurikastan 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0

Chris Marchment and Harry Cartwright were an odd combination.

At first glance, most of the nations involved in this tournament would have no idea why. Anyone who may have been around during the 11th and 12th Field Hockey World Cups would know immediately.

Cartwright was the coach for the Talzecki "national" team when the Sarzonian colony declared independence from Sarzonia. While Talzeckia's field hockey exploits barely registered a blip on the Sarzonian sporting radar, Talzeckia was obsessed. Not just with field hockey, but with the idea of beating Sarzonia in sport.

It didn't happen. The one time the two teams met was a 2-2 draw. In the two appearances for the nations, the teams traded fourth place finishes. Talzeckia was up first with a surprising run. Then, Sarzonia came out of nowhere as Talzeckia were eliminated in the groups stage.

All of that provided backdrop for this match, which saw the Sarzonian field hockey team with Marchment coaching, as he had during the Field Hockey World Cups and Cartwright as an assistant coach. The two coaches agreed immediately that Sarzonia's first match back in the international spotlight, and its first match since being renamed the Stars, looked like the team had never left. They routed Nethertopia 5-1 behind two Jody Johansson goals. Cody Denton scored one, and even defender Casey Johnson scored.

"Just like old times," Cartwright laughed. Not quite. Both men knew that. But it was fun for at least one night.

OOC: Sigh. I really should log on at weekends, I suppose. Sorry my roster is late, I was really looking forward to this but didn't see the thread while briefly online on Friday.

Quintessence of Dust national field hockey squad

GK - Jennifer Sears

SW - Joseph Fuller

LD - William Barton
CD - Caspar Rasmussen
RD - James Potts

LM - Anne Fréchette
CM - Matthias Duerr
RM - Amelie Sveinsdóttir

LW - James Blazer
CF - Charles Williams (c)
RW - Rebecca Rodriguez

Reserves:
James Clifton
Koen Lessen
George Marsh
Ella Veronneau
Katrin Gerber
Amanda Jónsdóttir
Nicolas Blomqvist

Style modifier +5

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my goalscorers - Y
Godmod goalscoring events - Y
Injure my players - Y
Godmod injury events - Y
Give my players disciplinary cards - Y

Kit #1: Red and blue (keeper in green)
Kit #2: Grey and black (keeper in yellow)

The New Cleethorpes Enquirer
Hockey campaign over before it starts?

The long-awaited Hockey World Championship began in Liventia this weekend, and an underprepared national team registered two disappointing performances in their opening encounters. Past embarrassments for the football and rugby union sides loomed large in the mind as once again, Quodite athletes failed to live up to domestic hopes at the international level.

Captain Charles Williams (24) admitted the performance against had been "not good enough" after Peisandros inflicted an 8-1 thrashing. Statisticians believe such a scoreline has never been seen in the tournament's history. The shocking display saw goalkeeper Jennifer Sears totally out of her depth as goals flooded in, while centreback Caspar Rasmussen earned a red card (setting up a goal from the subsequent penalty stroke) after repeated infringements as he struggled to marshall a wilting back line.

The only goal - which, with the scoreline already 5-0, barely even counted as a consolation effort - came from Bill Barton, who struck in a clean shot after Williams's short corner attempt was deflected.

Earlier, the Quodites had managed an unlikely draw against Capitalizt SLANI, seeded 11th from the first World Championship, with Williams scoring before watching his team yield in the 65th minute. A superb piece of solo play from University of West Sponson captain Amelie Sveinsdóttir set him up, cracking in her long cross with precision to take the lead in the first half.

Williams's frustration will only mount as the 45th football World Cup begins. Having chosen to sit out the qualifying games to participate in his favoured sport, he may be available for selection by coach Jeremy Dixon earlier than expected. Eight teams have earned at least three points, and Quintessence of Dust's hopes already look destined to depend on earning a strong third place. It has not been the bright start that many hoped for in the sport second only to rugby in national estimations, and the prospects for the Summer Olympics now look bleak.

After a bye day when the squad will regroup, they face world no. 2 ranked hosts Liventia, followed by the must-win game against Lurikastan.

(ads here)

Matchday Three scores
(In tables below, PP = points possible)

Pool A
Kura-Pelland 4-1 Greal
Taeshan 1-1 Sarzonia
Nethertopia bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts PP
1 Kura-Pelland 3 3 0 0 12 2 10 9 12 Q
2 Sarzonia 2 1 1 0 6 2 4 4 10
3 Taeshan 3 1 1 1 3 5 -2 4 7
4 Greal 2 0 0 2 1 6 -5 0 6
5 Nethertopia 2 0 0 2 2 9 -7 0 6

Kura-Pelland cannot fall below second thus have qualified

Pool B
Candelaria And Marquez 6-1 South Wickland
Lovisa 4-0 Cruitberg
Kjomasasopia bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts PP
1 Candelaria And Marquez 3 3 0 0 12 1 11 9 12 Q
2 Lovisa 3 2 0 1 6 5 1 6 9
3 Cruitberg 2 1 0 1 4 6 -2 3 9
4 Kjomasasopia 2 0 0 2 2 6 -4 0 6
5 South Wickland 2 0 0 2 2 8 -6 0 6

Candelaria And Marquez are guaranteed at least a best third placed finish and thus have qualified

Pool C
Capitalizt SLANI 3-2 Lurikastan
Liventia 5-2 Peisandros
Quintessence of Dust bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts PP
1 Liventia 3 3 0 0 11 2 9 9 12 Q
2 Capitalizt SLANI 3 1 1 1 4 7 -3 4 7
3 Peisandros 2 1 0 1 10 6 4 3 9
4 Quintessence of Dust 2 0 1 1 2 9 -7 1 7
5 Lurikastan 2 0 0 2 2 5 -3 0 6

Liventia have won the group (head-to-head superiority over Peisandros) and thus have qualified

Please note that, as per the schedule, we have one off day tomorrow. Matchday Four scores will be posted in 48-50 hours' time.

Peisandros has had a topsy turvey start to the Hockey World Championship. In the last game, they were given a solid beating by hosts Liventia, 5-2. They still have a good chance of qualifying though, as their big victory over Quintessence of Dust leaves them in a very good position.

Stars draw Taeshan, question officiating

Associated Sarzonian Press -- Even though the Sarzonian national field hockey side should be happy with a 1-1 away draw to world No. 7 Taeshan, joy was the last emotion on coach Chris Marchment's mind after the match.

He immediately questioned a 43rd minute foul called against defender Casey Johnson that led directly to a penalty stroke resulting in the Taeshani goal. The official also gave Marchment a red card, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the match and the Greal match.

"That was the worst piece of officiating I've ever seen in any sport," Marchment said as soon as he walked into the press room. "A penalty stroke should only come about if the player prevents a probable scoring opportunity. With the way [defender] Bill Houlder was marking their guy, there's no way he gets a 'probable scoring opportunity'."

Johnson declined to speak to reporters after the game. He referred questions about the officiating to Sarzonian officials, who also declined comment.

Marchment said Liventian officials were "obviously biased.

"Just look at the results in this World Championship," Marchment said. "There's no way Liventia is that heads and shoulders above any other team in that group."

One matchday after Sarzonia netted five goals against Nethertopia, the Stars offence could only generate one goal, a blast from 20 yards out by midfielder Jordan Diehl that gave the Stars a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Assistant coach Harry Cartwright said the team's inability to score hurt the team more than the call against Johnson.

"We missed two point-blank opportunities," Cartwright said. "If we score on even one of those chances, we win this match."

As for making his coaching debut against Greal, Cartwright pointed out that he coached the Talzecki colonial field hockey team in the 11th and 12th Field Hockey World Cups, guiding the Tigers to a fourth place finish in their debut appearance.

"It's not like I've never been a head coach on any level," Cartwright said. "I have some experience. Not having Chris against Greal isn't going to be ideal, but I think this team can hold its own with or without Chris."

Posted on HockeyWatch blog, 04/03/09.

Four changes before Liventia

We've been expecting this, but today the HA confirmed four, yes four, changes against Liventia. Obviously Caspar Rasmussen is suspended. Duerr has been dropped - good riddance. Rebecca Rodriguez has a stomach upset, and Jamie Potts is going home: his knee obviously isn't healed. What was the point of even starting him when he wasn't fit?

Ok, so Lessen and Marsh are in for the defence. I've seen both of them in action and I think we have to bank on them being more solid than what we've seen so far.

Amelie is moving up to right wing to replace Rodriguez. I think it's a mistake to play her out of position. Ella Veronneau is good and I think she'll do ok at right midfield, but Amelie was the only one to hold it together against Peisandros, and moving her out of the centre is going to isolate her. She'll either drift back, or she'll be forced too high. Definitely minus points for the selectors.

Amanda Jónsdóttir is starting in centre midfield. This is just what we needed, and I don't know why she didn't start to begin with. She was great when she came on against Capitalizt SLANI, and she nearly scored against Peisandros - if there hadn't been the infringement, it would have counted.

It's going to be tough against Liventia and I hate to be the voice of doom and gloom, but I don't see us winning. But let's hope things pick up against Lurikastan: after all this waiting, I don't want to see our team go home without proving themselves.

-- Posted by Freehit

WCFH organisers reject Sarzonian bias claims

Folenisa, LIVENTIA— The organisers of the second World Championship in Field Hockey, currently underway in Folenisa, Orean, Neverend and City Centre, have rejected claims made by Sarzonian head coach Chris Marchment of bias in officiating following a controversial decision in their 1-1 draw with Taeshan.

Liventian referee Greg Woodhouse and his assistants, one from Liventia and the other from Paripana, were the subject of a verbal torrent of abuse from Marchment following a call eight minutes into the second half which saw Taeshan awarded a penalty stroke for a foul by Casey Johnson.

Marchment was sent to the stands by Woodhouse following the incident, but the Sarzonian's comments did not stop there, as he took the opportunity of the post-match press conference to attack both Woodhouse and the WCFH organisers.

One of Marchment's claims was that Liventia had been on the receiving end of helpful refereeing decisions in their three group games to date, which has seen the hosts win Pool C.

However, organisers flatly rejected this, pointing out the referees and assistants for each match are comprised of refereeing teams from nations not involved in that pool, and that a Sarzonian-led refereeing team had taken charge of Liventia's matchday two win over Capitalizt SLANI.

The WCFH refereeing panel has also backed Woodhouse and his assistants over the sending off of Marchment, although Woodhouse has admitted to having made a mistake with the penalty stroke incident that led to the coach being sent to the stands. The refereeing panel issued its own statement, saying it had taken note of Woodhouse's post-match comments regarding his decision over the penalty stroke and had sanctioned him and his team accordingly, without giving further details.

WCFH organisers are understood to have written to Sarzonian officials, warning them to rein their head coach in with the threat of more severe censure. Marchment is suspended from the bench for the game against Greal, in which a win for Sarzonia is likely to be enough to see them qualify for the double-elimination kncokout phase.

Coach Carrero to field weakened side against QoD

Neverend, LIVENTIA— The head coach of the Liventian field hockey team, Tim Carrero, has confirmed he will field a weakened side in the team's final group game against Quintessence of Dust, after a 5-2 win over Peisandros sealed the team's progress through to the knockout rounds.

Speaking at a press conference on a tournament-wide off day, Carrero confirmed he would rest his top stars for their first knockout game against the runners-up in Pool A, likely to be Taeshan or the upstarts from Sarzonia.

"I see no reason to play my key men against the Quodites given we've already won the group. We need to avoid injuries right now and it would only make sense if we started with a second-string lineup."

This could play into the hands of the Quintessence of Dust team, chasing a knockout spot. Wins against the world number 2 hosts and against unranked Lurikastan would certainly help the Quodites' chances of possibly making it through as one of the two best third placed teams, or even possibly as group runners-up.

Expected MD4 lineup for Liventia (regular starters italicised):
Michael Moss (GK), Francis Thorpe (left def), Sam Preston (centre def), Harvey Curtis (right def), Zak Stokes (left mid), Alex Jackson (centre-left mid), Nicholas McDonald (centre mid), Sam Burke (centre-right mid), Riley Coleman (right mid), Kyle Crawford (left att), Fred Dodd (right att); subs: Adam Bradshaw (goalkeeper), Nick Flynn, Leon Farrell, Ewan Gardner, Tom Clemence

Matchday Four scores

Pool A
Taeshan 1-0 Nethertopia
Sarzonia 6-0 Greal
Kura-Pelland bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Kura-Pelland 3 3 0 0 12 2 10 9 Q
2 Sarzonia 3 2 1 0 12 2 10 7 Q
3 Taeshan 4 2 1 1 4 5 -1 7 Q
4 Nethertopia 3 0 0 3 2 10 -8 0 E
5 Greal 3 0 0 3 1 12 -11 0 E

Pool B
Lovisa 4-1 Kjomasasopia
Cruitberg 1-1 South Wickland
Candelaria And Marquez bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Candelaria And Marquez 3 3 0 0 12 1 11 9 Q
2 Lovisa 4 3 0 1 10 6 4 9 Q
3 Cruitberg 3 1 1 1 5 7 -2 4
4 South Wickland 3 0 1 2 3 9 -6 1
5 Kjomasasopia 3 0 0 3 3 10 -7 0 E

Pool C
Liventia 7-4 Quintessence of Dust
Peisandros 3-1 Lurikastan
Capitalizt SLANI bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Liventia 4 4 0 0 18 6 12 12 Q
2 Peisandros 3 2 0 1 13 7 6 6
3 Capitalizt SLANI 3 1 1 1 4 7 -3 4
4 Quintessence of Dust 3 0 1 2 6 16 -10 1
5 Lurikastan 3 0 0 3 3 8 -5 0 E

Teams that can still finish third
Teams currently in third in their pools are italicised
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Taeshan 4 2 1 1 4 5 -1 7 Q
2 Peisandros 3 2 0 1 13 7 6 6
3 Cruitberg 3 1 1 1 5 7 -2 4
4 Capitalizt SLANI 3 1 1 1 4 7 -3 4
5 South Wickland 3 0 1 2 3 9 -6 1
6 Quintessence of Dust 3 0 1 2 6 16 -10 1

Taeshan have qualified as one of the two best third placed teams as they will definitely be ahead of the third placed team in Pool C (Peisandros on 6 points play Capitalizt SLANI on 4 points on MD5).

Peisandros plays Capitalizt SLANI on Matchday Five and will qualify with a draw. If they lose to Capitalizt SLANI, and Cruitberg fail to win in Pool B, they will also qualify.

Cruitberg will qualify if they win on Matchday Five by at least two goals, as that will be enough to put them above Taeshan on goal difference. They will also qualify if Capitalizt SLANI lose (provided they themselves do not lose by more than Capitalizt SLANI do) and if Quintessence of Dust fail to win by enough goals to put them ahead.

Capitalizt SLANI must win on Matchday Five by at least three goals to qualify. If they do so, and Cruitberg fail to win, Peisandros will also qualify.

South Wickland will qualify if Cruitberg lose and they win on Matchday Five, and if Capitalizt SLANI lose and Quintessence of Dust fail to win on Matchday Five, and their Goal Difference is better than all three of those teams.

Quintessence of Dust must beat Lurikastan on Matchday Five and hope Peisandros defeats Capitalizt SLANI, and must hope for Cruitberg to lose and for South Wickland to fail to win. If this happens, and Quintessence of Dust's goal difference is better than Cruitberg's, they will qualify.

Sarzonia punches knockout stage ticket
Pool title still a possibility

Associated Sarzonian Press -- Perhaps Chris Marchment should be suspended more often.

With the Sarzonian national field hockey team's coach sitting out the match against Greal due to a red card suspension, assistant coach Harry Cartwright guided the Stars to a 6-0 victory over Greal, clinching a spot in the knockout rounds.

"We knew the potential for distraction," Cartwright, the former coach of the Talzecki colonial field hockey team said. "I told the lads they had to focus on doing the things they needed to do against Greal and let the chips fall where they may."

Even though a Liventian officiating crew worked the match between Sarzonia and Greal. Cartwright complimented the officials for their professionalism.

"Fortunately, there weren't too many controversial calls in this one," Cartwright said. "Even so, I think our team needs to focus more on the factors it can control, such as taking advantage of scoring opportunities."

Unlike the team's struggles during its draw against Taeshan, the Stars (2-1-0, seven points) scored when it had opportunities. Jordan Diehl scored twice to lead a parade of five Sarzonian goal scorers. Goalkeeper Matt Marchment made five saves and ended up with his first clean sheet of the tournament.

Sarzonia have already clinched a spot in the knockouts, but still have a chance to win Pool A with a match against Kura-Pelland. The world's No. 4 ranked team have nine points from three victories in the pool stage, but the Stars can win the pool title with a victory. Chris Marchment will return to the sidelines for the match against Kura-Pelland.

"We've got an important match ahead of us," he said. "That's how we're going to approach it. We're going to view this as the first match of the playoffs, not a tune up match. I don't know what Kura-Pelland are going to do, but we're going to get after it."

The Sarzonian field hockey governing body rejected Liventian claims that a Sarzonian crew worked the Capitalizt SLANI-Liventia match, saying that officials from the Supervisor of Referees Office formally requested to be recused from matches involving Capitalizt SLANI.

"Above all else, we expect our officials to be impartial when they're on the pitch," said a spokeswoman. "That would be difficult against Capitalizt SLANI considering our nation's dodgy relations with theirs."

Meanwhile, forward Cory Denton (one goal, two assists against Greal) said he wanted to put the controversy behind him and focus on Kura-Pelland.

"Now isn't the time to dwell on the past," he said. "We've got a fixture coming up that we want to, no, need to win. Everything else is just a distraction."

The New Cleethorpes Enquirer
Goal-filled defeat all but seals early exit

New Secretary of Sport Alfred Cynus is expected to commence a review of participation in international sports after the Quintessential national hockey side slid to a 7-4 defeat against hosts Liventia in the 2nd World Championship of Hockey. The loss means Quintessence of Dust again fail to make it pass the qualifying rounds of an international sporting competition, barring an unlikely series of results beyond their control. "It's all but over," confirmed Secretary Cynus, "And I think it's time to start looking at where it's best to put our resources."

If Quintessence of Dust do fail to advance, it would follow three similar campaigns in the football World Cup and an early exit from the Rugby World Cup. Domestic disappointment at the weak performances of national teams has only grown following the relatively successful Winter Olympics, where the country topped the alpine skiing table and picked up two medals in figure skating.

The defeat against Liventia was expected, though its scale was not. 7 goals rained in, despite Tim Carrero opting to field a weakened side. Second string forwards Kyle Crawford and Fred Dodd shared five goals, with regular forward Tim Clemence scoring two as substitute. The Quodite team was improved, and managed four goals, but for every one they scored it seemed they saw two at the other end.

Coming back from a 2-0 deficit after only eight minutes, James Blazer managed to hook in a cross from newcomer Ella Veroneau, before captain Charlie Williams danced around Harvey Curtis to level the scores going into half-time. But straight out of the break the Liventians netted three in rapid succession, and thereafter matched the Quodites goal for goal. Amelie Sveinsdóttir justified her selection at right wing with an excellent touch to guide in Williams's deflected penalty corner. With the score at 7-3, Amanda Jónsdóttir justified her selection at centre midfield in place of Matthias Duerr with a direct flick goal from a penalty corner.

Speaking after the game, Williams admitted he was disappointed that Quodite hopes now rested "on the statisticians and not the players", but urged the Department of Sport to allocate new resources to the QHA and permit future participations in World Championships. "Maybe we'll have to go home tomorrow, but if we don't keep on competing at this level we'll never improve."

OOC: Isn't it true that mathematically, Sarzonia can still finish third in its group if it loses to Kura-Pelland by a wide enough margin to cause it to be behind Taeshan in goal differential?

"...and now, to hockey. Peisandros has won it's second game of the field hockey World Championship, beating Lurikastan 3-1. They now have a very good chance of qualifying and will do so with atleast a draw against Capitalizt SLANI. The game is hugely important for both teams, as Capitalizt SLANI can still qualify to. We will follow the team with interest. Finally in sport tonight..."

OOC: Isn't it true that mathematically, Sarzonia can still finish third in its group if it loses to Kura-Pelland by a wide enough margin to cause it to be behind Taeshan in goal differential?

OOC: You're right. Although for the reasons Taeshan has already qualified, that doesn't actually change the fact you have qualified. And, speaking totally off the record and away from my responsibility as host, I highly doubt you'll concede 11 goals.

OOC: You're right. Although for the reasons Taeshan has already qualified, that doesn't actually change the fact you have qualified. And, speaking totally off the record and away from my responsibility as host, I highly doubt you'll concede 11 goals.

Realistically, you're right. But mathematically I still haven't clinched second place.

Yes, it's just semantics. :tongue:

Matchday Five scores

Pool A
Kura-Pelland 3-2 Sarzonia
Greal 0-0 Nethertopia
Taeshan bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Kura-Pelland 4 4 0 0 15 4 11 12
2 Sarzonia 4 2 1 1 14 5 9 7
3 Taeshan 4 2 1 1 4 5 -1 7
---------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Nethertopia 4 0 1 3 2 10 -8 1
5 Greal 4 0 1 3 1 12 -11 1

Pool B
Candelaria And Marquez 5-1 Cruitberg
South Wickland 2-1 Kjomasasopia
Lovisa bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Candelaria And Marquez 4 4 0 0 17 2 15 12
2 Lovisa 4 3 0 1 10 6 4 9
---------------------------------------------------------------------
3 South Wickland 4 1 1 2 5 10 -5 4
4 Cruitberg 4 1 1 2 6 12 -6 4
5 Kjomasasopia 4 0 0 4 4 12 -8 0

Pool C
Capitalizt SLANI 3-3 Peisandros
Lurikastan 2-7 Quintessence of Dust
Liventia bye

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Liventia 4 4 0 0 18 6 12 12
2 Peisandros 4 2 1 1 16 10 6 7
3 Capitalizt SLANI 4 1 2 1 7 10 -3 5
---------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Quintessence of Dust 4 1 1 2 13 18 -5 4
5 Lurikastan 4 0 0 4 5 15 -10 0

Finishing positions:
9th Quintessence of Dust
10th South Wickland
11th Cruitberg
12th Nethertopia
13th Greal
14th Kjomasasopia
15th Lurikastan

First knockout match will be on Sunday. It will be a double-elimination tournament.
Quarterfinals:
Kura-Pelland v Taeshan (Taeshan was not given a bye to avoid Kura-Pelland as they only finished third)
Candelaria And Marquez v Capitalizt SLANI
Liventia v Sarzonia
Lovisa v Peisandros

avoiding ad
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The New Cleethorpes Enquirer
7 proves unlucky as hockey exit confirmed

A rampant Quintessence of Dust performance saw them spank Group C stragglers Lurikastan 7-2 in their first international hockey victory, but the performance was still not enough to save them from ejection as Capitalizt SLANI managed to squeeze a draw against Peisandros to retain third place. The Quodites finished up as the highest-ranked non-qualifiers, but this will be little consolation as yet another national sporting defeat raises renewed questions about the financial sense of competing in world competitions. Secretary of Sport Alfred Cynus will be asked to testify before the Senate Culture Committee on Monday to justify his new Department's appropriation requests for FY 10 in light of failures in football, rugby, hockey, and really, everything.

Captain Charlie Williams, who scored twice to take his tournament tally to four, spoke afterwards of his disappointment, but said that already the squad would be preparing for the third Championship, and hoping to learn from their mistakes. A solid game from James Clifton puts him in strong contention for the regular keeper jersey, while Amanda Jónsdóttir scored twice to all but guarantee her keeping the central midfield spot.

Williams also confirmed his retirement from international football, making him the first of the World Cup 33 starting XI to hang up his boots, despite being one of the youngest. "At this point, I think it's important to concentrate on hockey, and on building up a team that can seriously compete." Also on the scoresheet were Anne Fréchette, Amelie Sveinsdóttir, and Rebecca Rodriguez, who appeared as a substitute and put in a solid showing.

Stars lose to Kura-Pelland, face Liventia

Associated Sarzonian Press -- Even with a chance to win the Pool A title, Sarzonia's final group stage match of the second World Championship in Field Hockey turned into an anti-climatic affair.

It wasn't the scoreline: 3-2 to Kura-Pelland, giving the world's number four ranked side an undefeated pool stage record and a date with fellow pool mates Taeshan. It wasn't the ending of the match itself, as Sarzonia rallied from a 3-0 first half deficit to give the Arrows their first real scare of the tournament.

Rather, it was the decision by coach Chris Marchment to start all his bench players in the first half.

"That sent a strong signal that we didn't care," said striker Jody Johanssen. "If coach had played [the starters] the full 70 and we got the same result, it'd be a different story."

Marchment said he started his reserve players because "they needed playing time, and they weren't going to get much once we start playing the knockout stages." He added that he was disappointed his team didn't win the match, but was aware that Kura-Pelland are a highly ranked side.

"They're what, number four in the world?" Marchment asked. "For us to play them as evenly as we did after the second half began, it says something about how we've done so far."

The Stars face another test when they battle host nation and world number two Liventia in the first round fixture. Liventia finished as Pool C champions with an unblemished 4-0-0 record, taking the throttle down in their final pool stage match against Quintessence of Dust, a 7-4 victory that deprived them of the number one overall seed.

Assistant coach Harry Cartwright said the match up between the hosts and Sarzonia would present challenges, especially since Marchment called Liventian officiating into question following Sarzonia's 1-1 draw with Taeshan.

"You better believe we're concerned," Cartwright said. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Liventians took Chris's comments to mean that he thought the entire nation was a bunch of crooks."

For his part, Marchment said the officiating controversy was in the past.

"We hope they're using officials who don't have an obvious bias either way," Marchment said. "Having said that, we're aware that we'll be playing in a hostile environment. If a team beats Liventia to win the title, they're going to have to be a team that can overcome a hostile crowd.

holy shit!
totally forgot i was in this!
i'm so sorry!

Quarterfinals
Kura-Pelland 5-0 Taeshan (played in Orean)
Candelaria And Marquez 7-0 Capitalizt SLANI (played in Folenisa)
Liventia 5-2 Sarzonia (played at the National Hockey Field in Neverend)
Lovisa 1-0 Peisandros (played in City Centre)

Matchups
Graphic: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/NSLE/WCFH.png

In text:
Loser's bracket Round 1 matchups:
L1- Taeshan v Capitalizt SLANI
L2- Sarzonia v Peisandros

Winner's bracket Round 1 matchups:
W1- Kura-Pelland v Candelaria And Marquez
W2- Liventia v Lovisa

Loser's bracket Round 2 matchups:
L3- L1 winner v W1 loser
L4- L2 winner v W2 loser

Loser's bracket Round 3 matchup:
L5 - L3 winner v L4 winner, loser is eliminated.

Winner's bracket Final:
W3- W1 winner v W2 winner

Loser's bracket Final:
L6- L5 winner v W3 loser, loser is eliminated.

Championship final:
W3 winner v L6 winner. Winner takes all.

So far, so easy. A 5-0 destruction of Taeshan in the first phase of the double-elimination phase, with the only scare all tournament being the complacent sacrifice of two-thirds of a three-goal lead over Sarzonia, and Kura-Pelland are so far looking so good.

But it's Candelaria And Marquez who now loom large in a huge showdown, with Liventia (or heaven forbid, Lovisa) looming large for the team who triumphs, while the loser will face Taeshan or SLANI in the losers' bracket. Even though this isn't straight knockout, it's intense; the path to the title is shorter, and thus easier, from the 'winners bracket'.

With both teams scoring freely thus far, the game could come down to who can adjust best to not being in a dominant position. The Arrows' wobbles against Sarzonia is timely practice in that respect.

Sarzonia coach Chris Marchment was nowhere to be found.

Five, ten minutes passed. Still no word of him.

Liventia coach Tim Carrero had been through his press conference and answered all the questions he was asked. However, even half an hour after the mandatory cooling off period finished, there was no sign of Marchment.

Reporters from outlets far and wide were wondering where the Sarzonian field boss was. They had a litany of questions. Number one, why he stunningly benched starting goalkeeper Matt Marchment, his son, before the match against the world's second ranked team. And number two, why he left the pitch without so much as acknowledging Carrero after the host nation Liventia drubbed the Stars 5-2.

A full hour after the match had gone final, the Sarzonian sports information director heard his mobile phone ring. After listening for two seconds, he hung up. A reporter walked up to him expectantly.

"Coach Marchment is not going to address the media," the Sarzonian SID said. "He has also lodged a formal protest with the international field hockey committee over two calls in this match. Specifically, two penalty stroke calls and a red card issued to defender Bill Houlder left Chris Marchment incensed.

"The locker room is open if you want to ask any players anything. Ten minutes after that announcement, the Sarzonian coach finally made his presence felt in the locker room.

"Start wrapping up your last questions," he said curtly. It only gave about five minutes to the players to answer questions. Meanwhile, Matt Marchment was sitting at his locker dutifully answering questions about everything under the sun. He ignored his father's bluster.

Still, news came out that the Sarzonian field hockey governing body launched a formal protest over the outcome of the match. It wouldn't be long before Liventia and Sarzonia developed a strong dislike for one another on the field of play. To say the least.

1-0 loss sends Sandrians to losers bracket.

Lovisa has just overcome the Peisandros team in what was an extremely close affair. The goal came late in the first half from a great counter attack. Next up is Sarzonia, who were dealt with comfortably by the hosts.

“…ousands dead and many more fighting for their lives.

“Appalling story when you really think about it. Well, let’s lighten the mood a little, and drop in on Folenisa, because we’re just hours away now from the big clash in the World Championship in Field Hockey World Cup, with Candelaria And Marquez up against, of course, Kura-Pelland. Lizzy Capper’s over in Liventia for us; Lizzy?”

“Yes, hi Greg – or malo e tau ma’u ‘a e ‘aho’ ni, as they say over here in Ad’ihan. Well, I’m in Folenisa and the excitement is properly building now, because we’re just hours away from the big clash at the World Championship in field hockey, as reigning champions from you-know-who take on you-know-where, with everything at sta… Eh…? Right, I’m being told that not everything is actually at stake, on account of… yeah… and also that we aren’t in Ad’ihan, or… Okay, fine, but let me cut to the chase, Greg, because without any shadow of a doubt, this is the national hockey squad’s biggest match for a decade, with many experts are already saying that this may end up being a rehearsal for the final.

“Now, the road to that championship game may be long and complicated and I don’t fully understand it despite the rather flash graphics, but there’s just so much more than going through at stake here. The rivalry between Kura-Pelland and Candelaria And Marquez goes back a goodly long way now, and in no sport, apart from sailing I guess, is it more intense tha… yeah, I suppose you could argue football as well, but… Anyway, point is, this is a massive game for the reigning champions and the Kura-Pellandis alike. It’s all about pure sport here, Greg – there’s no distractions involving dodgy umpires or sexual misadventures or match-fixing, just two of the best hockey teams on the planet going head-to-head with the honour of their nations at stake.

“Yet the question remains, Greg. Why do I even need to explain this? Why has so little attention been paid to this tournament by the press back home?”

“Er… I don’t know? Perhaps you could enlighten us?”

“Oh, I was about to, Greg, but some manner of waterfowl has half-inched by lovingly assembled interview package on the matter.”

“You could give us a summery?”

“Well alright. Seeing as it’s you. The gist of the nub of the issue is this – is it all down to sheer misogyny, a complete unwillingness to give due reward to a team whose best players are thrusting young women? A team which only days ago brushed aside a Capitalizt SLANI outfit by an astonishing seven-nil scoreline, a score that may even be a record for a match not involving Total n Utter Insanity, I don’t know, I haven’t checked. Is this all-conquering force really being ignored because a handful of its players have brea… alright, vaginas, at any rate. Does this show up our society for what it truly is – utterly, unforgivably, defiantly backward?”

“Um…”

“No, Greg, it’s because it’s field hockey, and no-one gives a flying shit about it. And that is a tragedy in and of itself, because this is arguably the best Candelariasian national team of all time. Remember how the rugby boys failed miserably in their attempt to defend their title? I do, Greg. I still bare the scars. But our Blue Sticks? They’ve wiped aside all rivals like they weren’t even there. Which at least one of them wasn’t, to be fair, but… Anyroad, they’ve only conceded twice, they’ve scored twenty-four, and they’re basically bloody good. The only concern, Greg? Are Kura-Pelland just better. They too stormed past a solid side in Taeshan in the previous round. They don’t have women, afake, but they do have black people, so morally speaking we’re about even.

“They have a Chester, we’ve got a Grantham, there’s nothing to choose between us… It’s going to be great. This is Lizzy Capper, for TTO News, at the World Championship in Field Hockey, in Folenisa, for TTO NEWS, at the World Championship in Field Hockey, in Folenisa, for TTO NEWS, at th–”

“Daaaaaave… It’s happened again…”

“Ach, nae… The puir wee lassie’s got herself trapped in a recursife oottro again! Matthew, gie th’ spanners ready an’ fur th’ loove ay God be quick abit it!”

“Oh…kay… Well, we’ll leave Lizzy there and move onto collegiate sport, with the intermural championship reaching their semi-final stages. The University of El din remain the favourites with star man Santiago Siqueiros’ thirty-feet by seventeen, dye-sublimated tiled image of the Madonna and child receiving unbeaten six-point-zeros across the board. The team from Bove remain narrowly ahead after the first day of the seven-painting series however, an unusual cylindrical interpretation of the Big Blues’ Cup of Harmony Thirty-Three victory winning the hearts of many wit–”

*CLICK*

Winner's bracket
Kura-Pelland 0-1 Candelaria And Marquez
Liventia 4-0 Lovisa

Loser's bracket
Taeshan 6-0 Capitalizt SLANI
Sarzonia 5-3 Peisandros

Capitalizt SLANI and Peisandros are eliminated.
Kura-Pelland will play Taeshan (L3) and Lovisa will play Sarzonia (L4) in the next round. The two losers will be eliminated; the two winners will play each other (L5).
Candelaria And Marquez will play Liventia in the winner's bracket final, with the loser dropping into the loser's bracket to play the winner of Match L5.

A 5-3 loss at the hands of Sarzonia has spelled the end to Peisandros' first Field Hockey World Championships and on the whole, it must be considered a success. They made it through the group stages and will be eagerly awaiting the third edition of the competition. The team sends its thanks to the hosts for the smooth and well-run tournament.

Once again, Chris Marchment was nowhere to be found.

Unlike the last time, when Marchment wasn't in the press room after Sarzonia lost the first knockout stage match against host nation Liventia, the Sarzonian national field hockey team coach wasn't on the bench for the start of the team's crucial match up against Peisandros.

Assistant coach Harry Cartwright was directing traffic, whilst team manager Madeline Christophe was the nominal assistant to Cartwright. A reporter from a local newspaper assigned to cover this losers bracket fixture asked the Sarzonian sports information director for the whereabouts of the coach.

Finally, a sixth phone call to the chairman of Sarzonia's field hockey organisation got through. After hanging up, the SID finally had his answer.

"Coach Marchment was suspended for two matches by the organising committee of the World Championship in Field Hockey," the SID said. "They demanded the Sarzonian Field Hockey Organisation suspend him, but the SFHO cited Sarzonian legal codes prohibiting fines or suspensions based on criticising officials."

As for Cartwright, he guided the Stars to a 5-3 victory over Peisandros that led the Stars to face a Lovisa side that fell 4-0 to Liventia. The winner of that match would face the winner of the match between Kura-Pelland and Taeshan. A reporter asked Cartwright if he had any preferences between the two Pool A sides, but he said the question was premature.

"We haven't played the match against Lovisa yet," Cartwright said. "If we don't do what we're supposed to do, your question will be moot. "Right now, our only focus is the match against Lovisa. We have no margin for error."

Cartwright also said he would not address Marchment's situation.

"That's between Chris and you guys," Cartwright said. "My focus is squarely on this match against Lovisa. I have no time for anything else." Cartwright did say he was able to put his past as head coach of the Talzecki colonial side behind him and concentrate on his position with Sarzonia in spite of the recent bad blood between the Sarzonian colony and the mother country.

"What's past is past," he said. "Talzeckis are playing a vital role in the growth of the sport in Sarzonia. Sure, we'd rather be independent, but that will likely come in time. As of now, we're Sarzonians and we're going to be united as Sarzonians, win, lose or draw."

Loser's bracket Round 2
Kura-Pelland 2-1 Taeshan
Lovisa 1-1 Sarzonia (1-2 AET)

Stars work OT to beat Lovisa

Associated Sarzonian Press -- Quentin Barker's goal with 49 seconds remaining in extra time lifted the Sarzonian national field hockey club to a 2-1 victory in the second round of the loser's bracket of the World Championship in Field Hockey.

The Stars gave up a fourth minute goal and looked like they were heading home until forward Cory Denton scored the equaliser in the 69th minute to force the extra time session. After the final whistle, the Stars celebrated at the centre of the field.

"It feels great," Barker said of scoring the winning goal. "It felt great to rally back to equalise and force the extra time. It felt better to win and move on."

"We still have work to do," said assistant coach Harry Cartwright, who took over for a suspended Chris Marchment by guiding the team to victories over Peisandros and Lovisa. The Stars (4-1-2 overall, 2-1 in knockouts) face Kura-Pelland in the third loser's bracket round. "We can't afford to become complacent or allow ourselves to be beset with distractions."

That will be difficult with the media circus expected for Marchment's expected return following a two-match suspension. Sarzonian Field Hockey Organisation vice president for personnel Tim Wainwright said he hadn't met with Marchment to discuss the situation with him.

"That's got to happen before he coaches the team," said Wainwright. "We are fully prepared to have Harry Cartwright guide the team against Kura-Pelland."

For his part, Cartwright said he isn't worried about what Marchment does or if Marchment returns.

"We've got a must-win match against the Arrows," Cartwright said. "We can't afford to have the lapses against them we did the last time we faced them [a 3-2 loss to close the group stage]. They're the fourth-ranked team in the world. We've got to play the way we're capable of playing and minimise our mistakes to win this match."

Loser's Bracket Fourth Place Elimination Match
Kura Pelland 1-1 Sarzonia (1-1 AET) (Sarzonia wins 3-2 on penalties)

Kura-Pelland are eliminated and take fourth place. Sarzonia will go on to play in the Loser's Bracket final.

Winner's Bracket final (Scorinated by Bazalonia)
Candelaria And Marquez 3-0 Liventia

Liventia will play Sarzonia in the Loser's Bracket final. Candelaria And Marquez will await the winner of that match in the grand final.

Graphical representation:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/NSLE/WCFH-1.png
Teams already eliminated no longer have flag enclosed by frame

Liventia outclassed in WCFH1 final rematch

Neverend, LIVENTIA— The second World Championship in Field Hockey may be nearing its conclusion, but there's certainly no lack of thrills left in the tournament.

In a rematch of the World Championship 1 final, hosts Liventia took on defending champions Candelaria And Marquez in the winner's bracket final in the knockout rounds, with the winner guaranteed a place in the tournament final.

And, as was the case last time, the hosts were simply outclassed by their Candelariasian counterparts. Three first-half goals sealed the deal as the hosts simply could not muster any sort of a challenge to the rampant Blue Sticks. Even a disciplinary breakdown in the second half by the defending champions, which saw two green cards and two yellow cards, was not enough to help a frankly helpless Liventian side.

Grey Hanford and Alex Fox (2) propelled the Blue Sticks to an early three-goal lead with barely 20 minutes gone in the match. And, while that would be it in terms of goalmouth action, it certainly was not the end of the game, as a brutal second half saw Fox getting sin-binned. Captain Leandro Etorena would later also be shown a yellow card as a warning to the entire team, but it would end up being inconsequential as Liventia simply failed to take their chances.

Liventia now drops into the loser's bracket, and will play in the loser's bracket final against an unranked Sarzonia, who held world number four Kura-Pelland with a gritty performance through 85 minutes and then went on to shock them with a penalty shootout win.

Liventia has already beaten Sarzonia once in the knockout stage, with a 5-2 win in the main draw quarterfinals which sent Sarzonia into the loser's bracket. However, coach Tim Carrero has said he will not be taking the Stars lightly, despite the fact they have played more games than Liventia and would have the tendency to be more tired.

"We know if we lose, that's it for us. We won't be taking them lightly, and while this may be the loser's bracket final in name, I'm convinced both teams will be treating the match as if it's the championship final. We know that if we want to go on to face Candelaria And Marquez again, we have to beat Sarzonia, and that's our main goal."

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C. Marchment fired before Stars victory

Associated Sarzonian Press -- Most teams facing a must-win knockout stage match don't fire their coach prior to that match. Citing "unique circumstances," the unranked Sarzonian national field hockey team did just that, firing coach Chris Marchment on the eve of their second match with Kura-Pelland.

"Under normal circumstances, we would have dealt with disciplinary issues after the World Championship," Sarzonian Field Hockey Organisation vice president for personnel Tim Wainwright said. "However, these are very unique circumstances. We had a coach who essentially abandoned his job duties without notifying us. We were unable to reach him for two days. Wainwright said he intercepted Marchment before he could enter the team's dressing room and relieved him of his duties there.

"Believe me, I didn't want things to go down the way they did. That's not how we operate. But he left us no choice." Marchment did not return several messages left on his mobile phone before deadline.

"We're going to move on, and we're going to move on with Harry Cartwright leading the way," Wainwright said. He added that the decision to terminate Marchment "with cause" was his, acknowledging that he normally wouldn't be in line to make the decision, but said he received support from "everyone in the FHO."

"There was a prevailing sentiment that we didn't have a choice but to make that decision," Wainwright said. "Harry has done an outstanding job for us and for Talzeckia in previous field hockey tournaments. We look to him to do well again."

The coaching drama nearly spoiled an outstanding effort by the Stars, who defeated Kura-Pelland in penalty strokes 3-2 after battling the fourth ranked Arrows for 85 minutes.

Midfielder Quentin Barker's third round tally in penalty strokes proved to be the match winner as goaltender Matt Marchment made a total of 14 saves. The Stars (5-1-2) will face No. 2 Liventia, who fell to top ranked Calendaria and Marquez 3-0 in the loser's bracket final. The winner of that match will face Calendaria and Marquez in the grand final, while the loser wraps up third place.

"We just had to get out there and play our brand of hockey," said Cartwright after the match. "I told the lads to forget about everything else and just do what we had to do to win this one."

Cartwright said he told his team to put everything in the past, including the "needless drama" regarding Liventia officiating. He noted that Liventia gave the Stars their second loss of the tournament and said the team had to play "out of its mind" to avenge the loss.

"Liventia are an outstanding team. There's a reason they're number two in the world," he said. "There's a reason they were dominant until the match against Candelaria and Marquez.

"The officiating in this World Championship means nothing if we can't do the little things right. When we faced Taeshan, we didn't. That was the bigger story, not a penalty stroke call."

Loser's Bracket Final (Third place elimination match)
Scorinated by Bazalonia
Liventia 6-2 Sarzonia

Sarzonia is eliminated and takes third place in WCFH 2. Liventia will progress to the World Championship final and face Candelaria And Marquez for the world title.

OOC: I don't feel like RPing another match (though I might be inspired to do something more to Marchment), but I wanted to thank Liventia for a well-run World Championship in Field Hockey.

And I'm pleased that Sarzonia surpassed its previous finish in a Field Hockey World Cup AND Talzeckia's debut finish back in the day. :D

Scorinated for Liventia:

Final
Candelaria And Marquez 7-1 Liventia

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/NSLE/NationStates/WCFH.png

Post-WCFH2 ranks
1 Candelaria And Marquez 11.39842857
2 Liventia 9.212428571
3 Kura-Pelland 8.314607143
4 Lovisa 6.572870749
5 Taeshan 5.769850341
6 Sarzonia 4.510793651
7 Capitalizt SLANI 4.163809524
8 Peisandros 3.643333333
9 Cruitberg 3.435142857
10 South Wickland 3.435142857
11 Quintessence of Dust 3.435142857
12 Rejistania 3.096833333
13 Greal 2.342142857
14 Nethertopia 2.342142857
15 Bazalonia 2.238047619
16 Zwangzug 2.061085715
17 Kjomasasopia 1.873714286
18 Lurikastan 1.873714286
19 Magnus Valerius 1.717571428
20 Fujisawan Territories 1.249142857

Lovisa send a congratulations to C&M.