Saturday, July 31, 2010

Hockey's Women's Champions Trophy 2010 in Nottingham

Hockey's Men's Champions Trophy 2010 - England Preview

Great Britain Olympian Remembers the Hockey Tournament at the 1952 Olympics

Monday, July 19, 2010



Above: 'Roger the dodger', 'dot net', 'Ginger', 'The Rogde' all the nicknames came out! Chloe Rogers with her Champions Trophy bronze medal.

A very special win, and some brilliant attacking hockey from England. Well done to Danny Kerry and the team.



Above: The medals being handed out. There was a very funny bit (IMO) when Luciana Aymar and the Argentina team shook hands with all the other medal winners. It was like Aymar holding court and putting all the other nations in their place!

'Thank you for coming, bad luck' I bet she was saying to the other players.



Above: Something a bit special - the England women's hockey team and coaching staff, following the presentation to HRH The Countess of Wessex. Highfields, Nottingham July 2010.



Above: Former England and GB, and Leicester player, Jennie Bimson, a lovely lady. Bimmo has been commentating on the TV feed, what's that Jenny some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over. Well, it is now!

Now I saw Jane Sixsmith talking to Chris Mayer, Leicester coach in the food cafe area - and I asked Jane this, and she didn't squash the rumour either, but would she be moving to Leicester for the start of the new season?

Jane Sixsmith said: "Yeah, exclusive news!"

Seriously, when Jane's name was read out by Howard on the PA the crowd gave her the biggest clap of the medal presentations - just showing how well loved and respect she is within the hockey family.



Above: Me and Naomi Van As, one of my new favourite players! At the end of the tournament I had to go to the Adidas stand to pick up some pictures of players for a Field Hockey Forum person, and Naomi was there.

Well, she recognised me as the guy who had been hassling her for interviews in English all week, so I took the opportunity to get a catalogue signed by her.

Oli: Would you mind signing this 'to Oliver' please.
Naomi: Sure, no problem
(Writes 'to Oliver' and signs the picture of herself)
Naomi: How do you say 'thanks' in English?
Oli: Er... Like that?
Naomi: No, like in a pub?
Oli: Oh, like 'cheers'?
Naomi: Yes, that's it (Puts on posh English accent) - 'Cheers guv'na'.

Very funny, and very good of her.



Above: Jules and Georgie by the Champions Trophy.



Above: Me and the Champions Trophy, it was very heavy and I struggled to lift it. So quite how the Countess of Wessex and Luciana Aymar managed it, I don't know.

Friday, July 16, 2010

All the signs are pointing the right way... !



Above: The Hocktupus is predicting an England victory...



Above: Yan from the presentation team was able to read the flakes in his Chocolate milkshake and reckons England too.



Above: Juliette, James Tindall, and Georgie - nice photo after GB's victory over New Zealand men 5-1.
Just a quick word about the China - England press conference yesterday after England's 2-1 victory.

The China coach, Kim Sang Ryul and player, Baorong Fu, were questioned quite hard by myself and Juliette Banks.

Mainly about incidents in the game and then I did ask if the coach would be staying on at the end of the tournament. He made no comment about his future.

I will try and upload some of the press conference, but it is very long due to translation difficulties.

Which was one of problems cited by the China camp with the umpiring of their match.


My second inappropiate question to Luciana Aymar! And well very fun, she was good enough to do a longer interview and talk about the World Cup in Roasario in Argentina in a few months time.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010



These comments by Jason Lee, the Great Britain men's coach, caused quite a lot of debate among our screen presentation team.

He says he is against video referrals himself on moral, sporting grounds. But then goes on to say: "[There are] times when we would be more competitively hardened." towards making use of the video referrals.

The debate around it centred on the use of video referrals for tactical advantage in a game of hockey.

Compare these comments to what Helen Richardson was saying after England beat Germany 2-1 in the women's Champions Trophy.

Helen made the referral about Germany's Nina Hasselmann's feet both being on the pitch for injecting the penalty corner, she says in her interview (see below) they had been studying video footage before the game about this positioning of the feet by Nina.

She seems to be suggesting England have used the video referral system for tactical advantage.

Now Jason is against this, but then says the quote above.

If it is the difference between us winning and losing, and video referrals are a part of the laws of the game - I say let's use them to our advantage.

I want (as a fan of GB and England) more victories and for us to win.

Kate Walsh suggested in the press conference after that Germany match, that other top international hockey sides have been doing this for some time, and that we needed to make more of this competitive edge.

Very interesting and let's get more 'competitive hardening' into our game - this is my new favourite phrase.


Good to get a few words with Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Assoication.

A very funny incident ocurred when we grabbed him in the middle of the pitch, after he had made presentations of 1952 bronze medals to two members of that GB squad.

The interview was supposed to be very quick, however the far water jet came on and myself, Juliette Banks (the reporter), and Lord Moynihan had to run off the pitch.

He wasn't keen on getting wet! The Olympic silver medalist can run, I can confirm.

Fortunatley he said hockey is in exactly the right place at the moment and the BOA have big plans for the sport.

That's very good to hear.


Another day, and this time a 4-0 win and Argentina are looking up, and 'Lucha' was on fine form.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010



I love what Kate Walsh, England Captain, is saying off-camera in this clip: "The rule is 13.3c," and the German caoch is shaking his head!!! Then Tina covers her face with her hands.

Sadly it was the last questions and I had to be somewhere else, so was packing up at the time.

Great day to be English!


Danny Kerry came and watched GB Men put 6 goals past Japan for a 6-4 victory in their opening match of the 4 Nations Tournament. Great Britain hadly seemed to get going, and Barry Middleton didn't look like he'd broken into a sweat.


Helen Richardson scored the single penalty flick during the match against Germany out in Madrid in 2006. The last time England beat Germany in a competitive fixture.

Above: One of the two big screens shows one of my videos, it is the 'Passion. Speed. Respect.' Compilation. Great, never thought seeing your work up on a giant screen could be so exciting!!!!



Above: Kate Walsh tells me it was Helen Richardson, who spotted that foot and wanted the video referral.


Above: In the Media Centre at the Champions Trophy and one of the volunteers is trying to set a new land world record for most plastic cups in a confined space! And he didn't drop them!!!


Above: Finally got to speak to sister, Chloe Rogers for a bit today - it is now day four! And we had our photo snapped.



Above: And me with the folks, Barry and Liz. Hang on, who's that in the background! Hockey events are always times for the family, and the Champions Trophy is no different.

Many people turned up with young children and had fun on the games in the Hockey Village, even though it was raining.

I find it lovely to be walking about the site and end up chatting to so many different people from all walks of life, all part of the hockey family.

Saturday is almost sold out! Now that is interesting... Very interesting, as a wise old BBC commentator used to say.


Great game for GB Men and another example of some of the stuff I'm shooting for the big screen here in Nottingham.

Monday, July 12, 2010



Some interesting talk about injury situation with the GB Men's side from coach, Jason Lee. A very fun press conference, Barry Middleton seemed to be buzzing after the 6-4 victory over Japan.

The game was a thrill to watch and Japan came back in the second half to level the scores at one point! Shame about the day long rain.

Sunday, July 11, 2010



Netherlands may have won 3-0, but England showed plenty of good play, here's a short clip of Chloe in action on the pitch in Nottingham.


A short clip of the China and New Zeland press conference on day two, the mood lifted a bit by the question.


Above: Me and England Legend, Lynn Bollington from Chelmsford Hockey Club with the hockey family at Highfields Sports Centre.

Lynn scored the opening goal for the England Legends and had a fab game up front with Jane Sixsmith.



Above: (Right to Left) Karen Brown, Jasper the Lion, the real life 'Jasper' - Jane Sixsmith after the England Legends game.

Jane scored a cracking final goal for England Legends, and still running!

Saturday, July 10, 2010



This is the Press Conference, lucky to get to put a few questions to one of the great hockey players, Luciana Aymar with a few surprise results!

England Captain, Kate Walsh thought the questions were very funny.


Some of the filming I've been doing whilst at the Champions Trophy 2010 in Nottingham.


Above: Naomi Van As (Left) with Georgie. Naomi is very tall and lovely, the challenge is for me to get a picture with her on Sunday!



Above: Georgie, Luciana Aymar and me

Ah, one of my favourite hockey players, Luicana Aymar after the press conference. I made her chuckle with a few odd questions at the end, like is the Las Leonas defeat to England much like Maradona and Argentina's exit from the football World Cup? "No", Amyar said "because they're still in the hockey tournament!"

The Champions Trophy has been really great so far, meeting up with loads of old friends in the hockey family. And an England win to celebrate.

I'm on record as having predicted a draw in the bar on Friday night probably 2-2, but a win, well even I didn't think that would happen.

A great credit to Danny Kerry, England's coach and his team.

Friday, July 09, 2010




Some pictures of the great village area for the Champions Trophy 2010 in Notingham.