Melbourne to host 2012 Champions Trophy

Melbourne will host the Champions Trophy men’s field hockey tournament in December, giving Australia a chance to claim a fifth-straight title on home soil. [caption id=“attachment_302453” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The announcement allows Australia a chance to claim a fifth-straight title on home soil. Reuters”] [/caption] The tournament, which will be held from Dec. 1 to 9 at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, has been awarded to Melbourne for the second time in four years. Australia won its fourth-straight Champions Trophy title at the 2011 tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Eight teams contest the trophy, including the top-five teams from last year’s tournament, the winner of the Champions Challenge and two nations invited by field hockey’s world governing body. AP