Sponsors boost for JHL

13/06/2002

TWENTY-two team managers for the MHF-Milo-Admiral-NSC Junior Hockey League
went home smiling from Bukit Jalil yesterday as the Malaysian Hockey
Federation (MHF) handed out RM5,000 cash per-team as subsidy.
Admiral, the attire sponsors, also handed out jersies to the 22 teams
and MHF upped the offer by handing out VCD's of the recent Kuala Lumpur
World Cup action.
Tenaga Nasional, the League champions will start as the favourites in
the JHL which begins on June 21 in the absence of overall champions
Malacca who failed to field a team, but regulars Olak-MPK feel they have
the players to go the distance.
And since they have secured the services of veteran hockey coach C.
Paramalingam who took Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) to the Malaysia Hockey
League overall title this season, Olak might just prove to be a surprise
package this season.
"BSN have agreed to loan Paramalingam to Olak for the JHL and with his
experience on our side, I am sure olak will perform better than last year.
"And since Olak have seven players who are regulars in the JHL, I feel
that we can at least reach the semifinals this season," said team manager
Joseph de Silva.
It is no mere talk as Olak will be the only team in the JHL to have
played in all eight editions of the JHL which started in 1995 and they
have a string of titles.
Olak were the double champions in 1998, 1999 and they also finished as
the overall champions in 2000.
"Last year, we did not fare very well, but I am confident that we will
be among the top-four when the semifinals start," said Joseph.
Most of the Olak players have been training with the Selangor Malaysia
Games squad and only started training as Olak early last month.
Favourites Tenaga will not have the services of international Azlan
Misron for their two opening matches against Perak Malays on June 21 in
Ipoh and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council two days later.
Azlan, who played well in the just concluded Australian Four-Nation,
left for Germany on Tuesday with the national side for the German Masters on Friday.
However, Tenaga will have the services of Reduan Nasir, who also played
in the Four-Nation, as he was not selected for Germany.
"We have enough players in the team to cover for Azlan while he is with
the national side. I do not see any problems for Tenaga in the first two
matches," said coach K. Rajan.
(END)