Singapore Women’s Over40 Masters field hockey team ranked eighth in world following inaugural World Cup
Source: Photo and write-up by: SG Women Masters (SGWomen’sHockeyMasters (@sgwomenshockeymasters) • Instagram photos and videos)
Singapore: Singapore Women’s Over40 Masters field hockey team reached the quarter finals of the Masters Hockey World Cup, ending the tournament ranked eighth out of 13 teams.
The team started strongly with a 1-0 win against Germany following a penalty stroke from O Ming Fen, and a 2-0 win against host nation South Africa. The goals were scored by O Ming Fen (penalty stroke) and Su Hodjatzadeh (field goal). The team was defeated 3-0 however in their final group game by the USA.
In the quarter finals they lost 6-0 to Australia who went on to win the gold medal.
In the play offs, Singapore lost 3-0 to Wales and 3-1 to USA. The field goal scorer was Ros Blazejczyk.
At the end of the competition, the team finished 8th overall, beating Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland and Germany. The Over40s men’s team also finished 8th in their competition.
Team manager Maxine Chia said: “Our goal was to reach the quarterfinals which we have accomplished. This was an excellent result for Singapore considering the limited pool of 23 players we have to choose from, compared to nations like Australia where between 5,000 and 7,000 women are registered to play Masters hockey.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors, our families and our employers. Moving forward, we will continue to seek every opportunity to inspire even more women and girls to compete in field hockey and compete on the international stage.”
Coach Wayne Blazejczyk said: “The team did really well to meet the ambitious goal we set to make the quarter finals and be ranked amongst the top eight nations in the world. The hard work, preparation and dedication of this group of amazing women made this possible.
“Our challenge now is to get more women playing at Masters level to give us a greater pool of talent to choose from for the next World Cup. This will allow us to improve on this year’s performance and push Singapore further up the world rankings. Our aim is to not only compete against the top countries, but also beat them.”
The 2024 World Cup team was supported by six sponsors including derivatives marketplace CME Group, global insurance specialists Newline, global leader in FX markets SGX FX, global fintech company LMAX Group, healthcare provider Avant Orthopaedics and the leading global maritime consultancy Solis Marine. The team also received a donation from Overseas Reinsurance Agents AG.
The World Masters Hockey World Cup took place in South Africa from October 12 – 21.
Last year the Over40s women’s squad made history when they won Gold in the 2023 Asian Continental Cup, beating host nation Hong Kong 1-0. It was a dream come true for the Singapore team which reached the finals after beating South Korea 2-1 in a dramatic shootout.
ENDS
October 23 2024
