Qormi Hockey Club

The Under 11s, on Saturday took partt in the 4th Under 11 festival of the season. The Under 11 competition is organized on 4 festivals which are played from January till April. This season The Qormi team hads been managed by Thomas DeGiovanni, assisted from Jeremy Farrugia and Bernice Calleja.

Qormi managed to win together with White Hart A the 1st festival back in January. During the February tournament Qormi won the festival, while Sliema placed 2nd. In the March (3rd festival) Qormi placed in 2nd place, behind Sliema Hs. With these results Qormi placed 1st with a total 16 points while the other clubs where 86 points behind. This meant that Qormi needed only to partecipate and place with the 1st 5 teams to be declared as champions. 

However on Saturday, Qormi Under 11 went out and won the 3 matches they had to play. This gave the Under 11 title to Qormi

Well done to all the players that took part in these festivals and to all the Coaching staff at this level. This shows that the future is looking bright.

Qormi Under 17s on Sunday morning played in a top of the table clash against Sliema Hs. Qormi had Justine Pace Gasan missing due to injury, while Shianne Fabri got injured during the warming up. Williams opted for Jeremy Borg to fill in between poles.

In this encounter Qormi knew that a win would place them in a very good position to hold the National Under 17 title for the 8th Year in a row and teh 10th time in 11 years! If this will be achieved it is a record that clearly identifies as our Nursery the leading one to develop kids and the main nursery in this decade.

In fact on Sunday the Qormi Under 17s team totally dominated the match and after closing the 1st half 3-0, in the 2nd half kept on going to score another 5 times, showing clearly the superiority at this level to a final result of 8-0!!

Next Saturday Qormi Under 17s will need a minimum of 1 point to secure mathematically the title. The team will be facing Floriana YS at 3pm.

Starting line up: J.Borg, K.Bajada, K.Darmanin, D.Ellul, K.Grixti, S.Dimech, L.Bajada

Subs Used: K.Busuttil, N.Zammit, S.Gauci

On Saturday 5th December. the Under 14 team has played the 1st match of the new season. Qormi faced new comers in the category, Luxol White Hart. 

Calleja had missing Keeper Kyle Aquilina which was instead replaced by debutant Shianne Fabri.  Qormi dominated the match from the 1st minutes, although it took the team 10 minutes to find the way to goal from Luke Bajada. A few minutes later and Under 12 player Niandra Xuereb doubled the score. On 2-0, Qormi kept on attacking and managed to score 2 more goals till half time.

However the 2nd half was downhill for the Qormi team and kept on scoring one goal after the other to a final score of 16-0. Theam Scorers: Luke Bajada 5, Nicole Zammit 5, Niandra Xuereb 3, Justine Pace Gasan 2, Craig Mifsud.

This game was a good display for the Under 14s and on Saturdayu they face Sliema.

Starting line up: S.Fabri, L.Bajada, C.Mifsud, J.Pace Gasan, N.Xuereb, N.Zammit, Z.Magri

Subs used: N.Pace Gasan, N.Borg, J.Micallef

On Saturday Qormi Under 17s faced Sliema in their 2nd league match. With both teams winning their 1st encounter, it was important for both teams to take the points from this match and also take the lead in the standings.

Williams had Justine Pace Gasan out due to injury, Luke Bajada and Jacob Galea both unavailable. However the Qormi team was still very strong and dominated the game from the1st minutes. Although dominating the game and playing very attractive hockey the Qormi team had to wait till the 8th minute when Kurt Grixti scored a well combinated action between Borg and Dimech. Few minutes later and Ellul managed to double the score after  Zammit shot was saved by the Sliema keeper. Before half time Sliema on a counter attack managed to get one back and the half time result was 2-1 for Qormi.

In the 2nd half Qormi dominated the game from the 1st minutes. It was Borg that scored the 3rd and Grixti the 4th. However the Qormi players would have scored much more goals wasn't it for the Sliema custodian that made several saves. Also as the match went on the Qormi team failed to play as a team and the young players tried more for their personal glory, failing to add to the goal tally.

With this result Qormi are top of the standings. Qormi will face Floriana in 2 weeks time.

Starting line up: C.Dimech, K.Busuttil, K.Darmanin, K.Bajada, S.Dimech, J.Borg, N.Zammit

Used Subs: K.Grixti, D.Ellul, S.Gauci

On Saturday afternoon Qormi Under 17s began their title defense with an easy win against Floriana.

Last weekend Qormi won the preseason festival and this could have influenced the attitude of the team. The performance of the Under 17 was well below the expected level and we saw a lot of individual play rather then team play. Howver the kids stil managed to win easily against Floriana.

In fact although creating a large amount of chances Qormi only managed to score 1 goal in the 1st half from Kurt Grixti. In the 2nd half Qormi improved drastically and managed to score another 3 times from Grixti, 1 from Keith Bajada, another one from Jeremy Borg and the last one from UNder 14 player Jacob Galea.

With the final result standing at 7-0, Qormi managed this  season opener rleatively with a very easy win. Next match will be against Sliema Hs in 2 weeks time.

Starting line up: C.Dimech, K.Bajada, J.Galea, K.Darmanin, S.Dimech. K.Grixti, J.Borg

Used Subs: N.Zammit, J.Pace Gasan, D.Ellul, S.Gauci

The Qormi Under 17s began their season taking part in the Under 17 Pre-season festival. This festival was beetween the major 3 clubs in the competition, namely Qormi, Sliema Hs and Floriana YS. In the 1st Match Sliema beat Floriana 2-0

Qormi in their 1st encounter faced the team that lost the 1st match, Floriana YS. Qormi took just few minutes to settle down and after 2 good opportunities Nicole Zammit opened the score. Just 3 minutes later and form another action on the right side, Keith Bajada scored the 2nd goal. Just few seconds before half time and Shawn Dimech scored the 3rd goal. In the 2nd half Williams opted to give more experience to the new comers and after Shawn Dimech scored the 4th, it was debut player Sheldon Gauci that sealed the result to a 5-0.

In the last match Qormi faced Sliema Hs. Qormi went out on the attack and dominated the match from the 1st minute. In fact Qormi took some time to open the result due to very good goalkeeping between the Sliema posts. From a right side action Daniel Ellul hit in froma closed angle. Qormi kept attacking but failed to score again in the 1st half. In the 2nd half Qormi kept the same rythm and kept on attacking. At the 5th minute Shawn Dimech managed to score from the left side with a very good hit and put the score to 2-0. Sliema began pressing up and managed to create some chances. However debut keeper Christian Dimech protected well the posts and managed to keep a clean sheet.

Qormi Under 17s on Saturday will begin the league commitments with a match against Floriana YS.

Today, 16th July, the Maltese national team left the island to take part in the European Nations Competition. The Maltese team is in Challenge 4 and the competition will take place in Lithuania.

Our Club has the honor to have the majority of players in the national team. An impressive 11 players out of 18 are from our club. These are:

1. Ramon Chircop (Goalkeeper): he is the only player in the chosen national squad that was already in the last national team back in 2005. He is the current club 1st keeper and also is a product of the Qormi Hockey Youth System.
   
2. Gareth Dimech (Defender): plays in several defensive roles and is an important player in the Qormi 1st tam. Last 3 seasons played as a Central Defender. He is a product of the Qormi Youth Sector.
   
3. Joseph Cuschieri (Defender/Midfielder) He is also one of the nursery coaches (Under 17s) and has been with the club from the Youth Sector. He plays as a Defensive midfielder or Central Defender with our club.
   
4. Juan Sarcia (Defender). He is the Qormi drag flicker and also one of the 1st new Qormi Setup Nursery successes. He is the current club top scorer for 2 seasons in a row and also the Club Best Player for 2013/14. Can play in all the Back Four defensive roles.
   
5. Zachary DeGiovanni (Midfielder): Plays for the club in the centre of the pitch and although his young age,has been ever present in the last 2 seasons. Another product of the Qormi Hockey Nursery.
   
6. Keith Calleja (Midfielder): He is one of our leading coaches and also the Nursery Youth Development Officer. He has been part of the Nursery himself. He plays in Midfield and is known for his fitness, commitment and work rate.
   
7. Thomas DeGiovanni (Midfielder): Thomas is the youngest player called up for the National team. He plays in midfield or attacking positions. This season he has cemmented his position in a central midfield role for the club. He is a product of the Qormi Hockey Nursery
8. John Williams (Midfielder/Attacker): One of the Nursery main coaches and also a great motivator for the young players. He has been with the club for 9 seasons and since his arrival at the club has been an important part of the nursery also. As a player he established himself as one of the best right sided players and this season was one of the best scorers for the club.
   
9. Justin Bonello (Attacking Midfielder): A Qormi Hockey Nursery product. He established himself as one of the most skillfull players on the island. Also he is establishing himself for the Club. Plays several roles with  Qormi, as a midfielder or striker. However he is best suited as an attacking midfielder.
   
10. Jonathan Borg (Attacker): Joined the club after a spell in England. A very fast attacker that can play in all attacking positions. Had an end of season plagued with injures, but should be ready for the National team
    
11. Steve Tanti (Attacker): A Qormi Youth Sector product and also the Club Seniors Captian. A real leader and a very fast player. He has been an inspiration for our young players with his attitude and commitment in the team. An example to all the Nursery players - leads by example.
    

The 1st game will be on Sunday against home team Lithuania.

Good Luck and Make us Proud!!!!!!!!!

A few days after the end of the Med.Cup hockey 5s and still all the partecipants are talking about the event.

Several milestones has been set during this competition for the Maltese hockey. From this occasion several hockey enthusiast are looking at this activity as the beginning of a better future in the Maltese hockey.

The Girls team was a real coop for the Malatese Hockey. Several clubs tried to promote the game within the girls but at the end the results has always been very poor. Also our nursery for some years promoted the game for a Girls only team, which unfortunatly lost the numbers as tme passed.However having the National team set, I am sure that we will be creating better opportunities for the girls.

With the competition being an Under 16 competition, Malta has been given the permision to play with some over age players. This was permitted thanks to the EHF in the hope to promote the game in the girls sector and also so that a 4th team will be competing.

The team coach was Shawn Mifsud and our nursery was represented with 3 players. These where Bernice Calleja (current Hockey 5s Qormi seniors player), Nicole Zammit and Justine Pace Gasan (Both Qormi Under 14 players). It was also Bernice Calleja to be given the responsability of being the 1st Malta Girls skipper.

Another Milestone was the game against Turkey when our girls scored the 1st ever goals for our national team. It was skipper Bernice Calleja to score the 1st goal and Nicole Zammit the 2nd in a 2-8 result game.

All the Girls results:

vs Croatia 0-3

vs Italy 0-12

vs Turkey 2-8

vs Croatia 0-4 (3rd/4th place)

                                          Malta Girls team                                            Bernice Calleja (Malta Girls Skipper)

The Boys team was also another milestone. It was the 1st ever time that the national team Under 16 boys took part in an international competition. However things didn't begin on a good note for the boys. On the eve of the tournament team skipper Luke DeMarco got injured during a training match. This injury kept him out of the tournament and unfortunatly will need a long recovery. This affected the team morale, build up and it was not easy for the coaching staff and the players to adjust after such a huge blow, 

Our club was represented in the coaching staff, with Andre Ghio as National Under 16 coach and John WIlliams as his assistant coach. The team Manager was Robert DeMarco. Qormi had 4 players in the selection, Keith Bajada (Qormi Under 17) which was the skipper for the maltese team in the absence of Luke DeMarco, Kurt Darmanin (Qormi Under 17 & Hockey 5s), Kurt Grixti (Qormi Under 17) and Luke Bajada (Qormi Under 14)

The Boys team found it hard to adjust to the higher level and had games that gave a good account for themselves while in some other times it was important that they forget the game immedietly.Another milestone was that the 1st ever goal for the Under `16 boys was scored by Qormi player Luke Bajada.

Malta Under 16 boys

vs Croatia 1-3

vs Slovenia 2-8

vs Croatia 2-6

vs Turkey 2-17

vs Slovenia 2-5 (3rd - 4th place)

Qormi members where also an important part in the organization of the tournament. With Mr P.Grech and Mr G.DeGiovanni as venue Managers and Mr.S.Bajada and Mr Pace Gasan giving a much needed helping hand. Also Keith Calleja and Zachary DeGiovanni where part of the Table Judges.

Hopefully form this tournamnet the Girls and Boys Under 16 team would have the ball rolling for the next opportunity.

              Malta Under 16 Boys Coaching Staff                       Keith Bajada - Malta Under 16 Boys Skipper

The Maltese Boys Under 16 players will be making history during the weekend. This will be the 1st time in the history of Maltese Hockey that the Malta Under 16 team will be playing an official game agianst another country.

The Mediterrenean cup will be organized in Malta at Kordin Hockey Complex. The games will begin on Saturday 27th and will keep on going till Sunday afternoon. In the Boys category Malta will be facing Turkey, Slovenia and Croatia.

Our club will be presented by the National Under 16 coach Andre Ghio, his assistant John Williams and 3 players. These are Kurt Darmanin, Keith Bajada and 13 year old Luke Bajada

During this tournament another History making will be the partecipation of the Girls team. This will be the 1st time that a Girls team will participate representing our Island. The other partecipating teams are Highly rated Italy, Turkey and Croatia.

Our club will be represented by another 3 members. These are Bernice Calleja, Justine Pace Gasan and Nicole Zammit.

The fixtures for the event are as follows:

Saturday 27th June 2015

Prelimenary Round (do not count for tournament)

09:00 Boys Malta vs Croatia

09:15 Boys Turkey vs Slovenia

09:30 Girls Turkey vs Malta

09:45 Girls Croatia vs Italy

Competition Round

11.00 Boys Turkey vs Croatia

11:45 Boys Malta vs Slovenia

12.30 Girls Croatia vs Malta

13.15 Girls Turkey vs Italy

14.00 Boys Slovenia vs Turkey

14.45 Boys Croatia vs Malta

15.30 Girls Croatia vs Turkey

16.15 Girls Italy vs Malta

Sunday 28th June 2015

09:00 Girls Turkey vs Malta

09:45 Girls Croatia vs Italy

10:30 Boys Malta vs Turkey

11:15 Boys Croatia vs Slovenia

12:00 Girls Playoff 3rd vs 4th

12:45 Girls Playoff 1st vs 2nd

13:30 Boys Playoff 3rd vs 4th

14:15 Boys Playoff 1st vs 2nd

15:15 Presentation ceremony

  Malta Under 16 Boys after 1 of the friendlies being organize in preperation for the Mediterrenean Cup

The Qormi Hockey Nursery will be celebrating the end of the season with the Annual Presentation. This year the Nursery won the Under 14 and Under 17 National leagues. While the seniors won the National League , Super Cup, Challenge Cup and the 1st edition of the Hockey 5s. This will be on the 11th July at our Premises in Qormi.

On this occasion the awards will be given to those players and members that excelled during the year in several areas, with the most privilaged honor being the Juior Club Award.

This year it will also be the occasion to celebrate the players that not only represent our club but also now represent our Nation as part of the National teams. Currently the Club has an impressive 18 players selected in the 3 National selections that will be parteciopating in several tournamnets this summer. Eleven of these being in the Seniors National team, while 3 in the Girls team and 4 in the Under 16 boys.

For the occasion, a bar-b-que will be organized. The menu will be published at a later date.