BSN look menacing even without Pakistan connection

29/03/2002


BANK Simpanan Nasional look good for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL)
double this year, with or without their Pakistani connections.
The MHL begins this weekend, and the standard between the contenders and
the rest is a sight for sore eyes.
Penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, the topscorer in the Kuala
Lumpur World Cup with 10 goals, and striker Kashif Jawad have some
unsettled business back home and will not be available for this weekend's
fixtures but Bumiputra-Commerce Bank and Navy are not expected to trouble
BSN on Friday and Saturday respectively.
"Sohail and Kashif cannot not make it on time for the start of the MHL
but I have capable hands in the team to carry the challenge this weekend,"
said veteran coach C. Paramalingam.
BSN, the Overall Champions, have set their minds on the double this
year, and Paramalingam believes they have trained hard enough to make a
name.
"We have been training since January, without the national players who
were preparing the the Kuala Lumpur World Cup, and the regulars in the
side are in good shape," said Paramalingam.
"With national No 1 goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin between the posts, and
MHL regulars Lee Sien Lam, Mohamed Faizal Daud, Mohamed Badrul Hisham and
Muazam Mohamed shaping up well, there is no reason why we should not aim
for the double this season," said Paramalingam.
BSN also have rising juniors in Rodhanizam Radzi, Jivan Mohan and
Redzuan Ponirin for the speed and lasting power.
And when Sohail and Kashif arrive in Malaysia, the twin terrors will
rake in the goals and it will be plain sailing for BSN after that.
While BSN have assembled a strong side, overall, the League can be
divided into division one and division two judging from the team lists.
The division one teams are BSN, Sapura, Anderson Sports Club, Maybank
and Sapura while the division two sides are Jolly Lads Sports Club, Armed
Forces, Navy and Bumiputra-Commerce Bank.
The standard between the top five and the bottom four is very wide and
even before the League reaches the middle mark, the champions and the also
rans can be clearly divided.
Jolly Lads, the only team in the League who don't pay their players a
single cent, are already in trouble from the very beginning as five of
their better players will not be available this weekend for a host of
reasons.
The League is said to be slowly dying because the club structure in the
country is not strong. For this season, eight of the teams are from the
Klang Valley and Navy are the only outsiders.
Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Pahang, Malacca and Penang had fielded
teams in the past but have shied away because it has become too expensive.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation has promised that the next season it
will rope in more clubsides, but that is highly unlikely and like the
Razak Cup, the MHL is slowly fading away.
jugjet@nstp.com.my
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