Zarit gives Telekom title

12/08/2002

Telekom Pahang ........1 Malaysia SS ...............0
(Zarit Zainal, 55th)
DEBUTANTS Telekom Pahang lifted the MHF-Milo-Admiral-NSC Junior League
Overall Title at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil when they beat
Malaysia Sports School by a solitary goal in the final yesterday.
Telekom Pahang, who also won the League title in Group B, took home a
total of RM32,500 from the Junior League.
Telekom Pahang were a pale shadow compared to their League matches and
Malaysia SS only had themselves to blame because they missed three open
goals in the first half which could have landed them the Overall title.
Yesterday, Telekom Pahang registered Megat Arzafiq for the final and the
defender, who landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 5pm
after a four-match Tour of Busan, South Korea, made his entrance 54
minutes after play started and gave his team the much needed morale
booster to lift the title.
For, a minute after he entered the pitch, Telekom Pahang scored the
match winner.
Megat and Ismail Abu missed the semifinals but Telekom coach Izwan
Suhardi listed Megat in the starting list yesterday and the defender only
reached the National Hockey Stadium 50 minutes into the match, when the
score was still 0-0, and he changed hastily at the sidelines and entered
the pitch.
Before Megat and Ismail came to the stadium, Telekom Pahang looked lost
and hardly made any attempts at the Malaysia SS goal.
In fact, Malaysia SS could have taken the lead in the 14th minute when
their playmaker Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin sliced past Telekom Pahang defenders
Mohamed Razi, Engku Abdul Malik and Mohamed Zulkifli.
Tengku Ahmad's path was only blocked by Telekom goalkeeper Kairul
Niziam, so he squared the ball to his team-mate Mohamed Razie who faced a
gaping goalmouth.
To the amazement of the crowd, Razie swung his stick above the ball as
it trickled out to the sideline.
Telekom's best attempt in the first half was in the 15th minute when
Mohamed Al-Fadhir Kasim took a reverse stick shot but it hit the crossbar
and went out.
Telekom Pahang hardly made any moves when play restarted after the
breather and play was centered in midfield as Tengku Ahmad was the only
player on the field who made some forays into the semicircle.
But even he looked lethargic and could not finish some of the moves
because he had little support from his team-mates who were defending.
But 50 minutes into the match, Telekom Pahang perked up when Megat and
Ismail on the sidelines.
And in the 54th minute, off a goalmouth melee, Zarit Zainal pushed the
ball between the pads of Ahmad Bazli Razali to become the Telekom hero.
It was only Zarit's third goal of the JHL as he had only scored against
Synergy Hockey Club in the League match and against Ipoh City Hall in the
first leg semi-finals.
(END)