LEAGUE Champions Ernst & Young got off to a rousing start in
deffence their title when they hammered Penang-Nur Insafi 10-0 in
Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) yesterday. The match, played at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit
Jalil, was a one-sided affair from the first whistle, and Ernst &
Young, with 12 national players in their fold, scored at will. Nur Insafi had nine import players, seven from India and two
from Bangladesh, but the foreign legion were a lost lot. The
Penang team were forced to defend for the majority of the match,
and are expected to face another torrid time against Tenaga
Nasional tomorrow. Ismail Abu opened the floodgates in the second minute and went
on to nothch his hat-trick with goals in the 30th and 47th
minutes, while the other scorers for Ernst & Young were Chua Boon
Huat (fourth, 35th), Baljit Singh (12th), Azlan Misron (15th),
Craig Joseph Fernandez (36th), Azli Misron (62nd) and Nabil Fiqri
(65th). At the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium, TNB-Cup champions Tenaga
Nasional beat National Juniors 3-1 in an entertaining match. The Juniors, preparing for the Junior World Cup next year, will
next face Maybank, where they look good for three points. Tenaga got their goals off Fitri Abu Bakar (second),
Sallehuddin Ghani (55th) and Mahinder Singh (63rd). Marhan Jalil
scored for National Juniors in the 64th minute. "There were some close moments, and we had the chances but blew
them. However, I am not disappointed with their effort, and the
score indicates that they will improve as the league progresses,"
said Juniors coach K. Rajan. In another Division One match, Sapura survived by the
skin-of-their teeth when they edged Maybank 2-1. Maybank took the lead in the 18th minute off a Suhaimi Ibrahim
field goal, but South Korean import Song Seung Tae delivered for
Sapura with a 25th minute field goal. The winner was delivered by Redza Maadun in the 32nd minute. RESULTS -- Division One: Tenaga Nasional 3 National Juniors 1,
Ernst and Young 10 Nur Insafi 1, Maybank 1 Sapura 2. Division Two: Dolphins 3 UiTM 3, JLJ 3 Bandar Penawar SS 1,
Royal Malay Regiment x Bukit Jalil SS x. TODAY -- Division Two: Border Forces Club v Sultan Alam Shah
School (Terengganu, 5pm), Bandar Penawar SS v UNIMAP (National
Stadium, 5pm). TOMORROW -- Division One: Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (KLHA
Stadium, 5pm), National Juniors v Maybank (National Stadium,
Pitch II, 5pm), Ernst & Young v Sapura (National Stadium, Pitch
I, 5pm). Division Two: Bandar Penawar SS v UNIMAP (Bandar Penawar, 5pm),
Dolphins v Bukit Jalil SS (Lumut, 5pm), JLJD v Sultan Alam Shah
School (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), Border Forces Club v Malay Regiment (Terengganu, 5pm).