BJSS go for young blood

BUKIT Jalil Sports School will field a young Division One side for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) in an effort to prepare a team for the Junior Hockey League (JHL) next year.
The MHL Division One tournament starts on Friday with seven teams battling for honours.
The top two qualify for the Premier Division quarter-finals, and also gain automatic entry into the higher division.
The seven aspirants this year are Ipoh City Council, Bandar Penawar Sports School, Bukit Jalil Sports School, Armed Forces Juniors, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Malacca Municipal Council.
BJSS will also be fielding budding 16-year-old Thung Wei Chia from Kelantan.
"Basically, 18 of my 20 players will be eligible to compete in the JHL next season and that is our end target. The school will be exposing many new young players so that they will be better prepared for the junior league," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
BJSS open accounts against Armed Forces Juniors on Friday. The League ends on Feb 25.
The Premier Division of the MHL will start on Dec 17.
"We have a relatively good side but most of them lack exposure and that is why we are eager to see them in action in the MHL.
"Also, our Chinese payer Wei Chia has proved to become a promising defender, and the MHL will better prepare him to play in the JHL, just like the others," added Prakash.
The current national senior and junior teams do not have a single Chinese player with the last to represent Malaysian was Chua Boon Huat.
Wei Chia is also the only Chinese player listed in the seven-team MHL Division One tournament.