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Australia's Hockey World Cup Win!

By: Mark Tronson
Monday, 15 March 2010, 7:24 (EST)
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Australia defeated Germany 2-1 in the Hockey World Cup Final held in Delhi, India. The Kookaburra's Eddie Ockenden scored first in the sixth minute and Luke Doerner scored the winning penalty corner 11 minutes after Germany's Moritz Furste drew level in the 48th minute from a penalty corner.

The Kookaburra's Hockey World Cup victory comes 24 years after their previous World Cup victory, held in London (this writer was there sending reports to The Australian newspaper). On that occasion Australia put paid to England by the same 2-1 margin.

Doerner's penalty corner was his eighth goal in the tournament made him the joint leading scorer with another penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema of the Netherlands, who won the Bronze Medal by beating England 4-3.

Germany had for some years dominated world hockey with Gold Medal wins in Beijing (Olympics) and the previous two World Cups. Australia toppled Germany in last November's Champions Trophy held in Melbourne and now again in India four months later.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26847802-23218,00.html

Kookaburra coach Ric Charlesworth who was captain in that 1986 World Cup Gold Medal in London said he was very pleased with this win. Years ago when successfully coaching the Hockeyroos (Australian Women) to Olympic Gold said he wouldn't coach the men as they don't do what they're told. Now 57, it seems he'd got enough gray hairs for the lads to listen.

Meanwhile the semi-final results to reach this final had been Australia 2 – Netherlands 1, and Germany 4 – England 1.

The minor results were as follows.

5th and 6th place - Spain 2 – Korea 0

7th and 8th place - Argentina 4 – India 2

9th and 10th place - New Zealand 4 – South Africa 4
Penalty shoot out: New Zealand 5 – South Africa 4

11th and 12th place - Canada 2 – Pakistan 2
Golden goal extra time: Canada 3 – Pakistan 2

The surprise results in the tournament were as follows:

New Zealand's win over Korea;
Argentina's win over New Zealand;
Korea's win over the Netherlands;
Pakistan's win over Spain;
South Africa's win over Pakistan;
Argentina's win over India;
Canada's win over Pakistan.

Five hockey book author, Baptist minister Mark Tronson, says that hockey retains a wonderful innocence free from things like match fixing scandals. In Australia, for example, numerous Hockey Associations were initiated by the Christian churches. The most notable of these was the ACT Hockey Association.


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