Better after the break

THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division took off with great fan-fare at the Tun Razak Stadium, but the first weekend proved to be more action off than on the pitch.
Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and many top brass from the MHF as well as Astro were at hand to launch the Charity Shield which was telecast live.
Before the match, title sponsors Tenaga Nasional con ducted a coaching clinic, while the Malaysian women’s national team played a game against their ex-interna tionals.
And after a round of matches, with Maybank at the top on goal difference, the MHL will take a two-week break and resume on Dec 18.
Many teams, especially foreign based Nur Insafi, are glad for the break.
“We had very little training as most of my players were with the national side, and then we took a break after the World Cup Qualifier.
“The two week break is a blessing, as we can get ourselves better prepared,” said KL Hockey Club skipper Azlan Mis ron.
As for Nur Insafi, only nne out of their 16 foreign players managed to arrive on time for the first match against Maybank, and they lost 5-2.
Pakistan penalty corner flicker Imran Warsi also had to watch from the sidelines at the Tun Razak Stadium, as his playing contract with the European Hockey League stipulates that he can only play for other teams starting from Dec 15.
The season started on a lukewarm note, but is expected to pick up steam after the break after teams have more training time, and Nur Insafi get their full side.

STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pts
MAYBANK 1 1 0 0 5 2 3
KLHC 1 1 0 0 3 0 3
TENAGA 1 1 0 0 3 1 3
SAPURA 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
UNIKL 1 0 0 1 0 3 0
NUR INSAFI 1 0 0 1 2 5 0