Monday, January 31, 2011

Forlorn and bruising Kuantan

KUANTAN turned out to be a forlorn and bruising experience for teams and coaches playing in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League over the weekend.
For starters, the stands at the Kuantan Stadium were empty, except for players and match officials, as the fans gave it a wide berth.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) took the Premier Division to states for the second season, and only Penang has seen a good fan turn-out both times.
Ipoh and Kuantan only attracted a handful of die-hard fans, and it did not serve the purpose of taking top-level hockey to the states.
And the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, slated to play host in the middle of February, received a knock-out blow as thieves carted away fuse boxes to the stadium lights. The matches will noe be held at the Tun Razak Stadium instead.
The weekend also saw Tenaga Nasional and Malaysia's No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar fracturing his ribs, after taking a powerful reverse stick shot in the chest from Izzat Rahim of Sapura.
Tenaga not only lost the match 2-0 to further drop into the abyss, but also their best goalkeeper.
"It was an unfortunate incident, as the ball hit Kumar where he was not protected by hs gear. He will be out for at least three weeks, and now we have to rely on our second goalkeeper (Fairus Wanazir)," said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini.
But Kumar is made of sturdier stuff, and can't wait to get back into the thick of action.
"I tried to avoid the ball as it came directly to just below my neck where I have no proctetion. But it hit me square and I suffered a hair-line fracture on one of my ribs.
"It hurts, but I feel I can still play and if the coach gives me a chance, I will be back in no time to help my club," said Kumar who was awarded the Best Goalkeeper in Asia by the Asian Hockey Federation two weeks ago.
There was another casualty in Kuantan, as Armed Forces-Airod shook hands with their coach K. Rajan and parted ways after their match against Yayasan Negri sembilan on Saturday.
"The Forces management felt that the team underperformed after eight matches, and told me that they no longer needed my services.
"I have no qualms with them, but I feel we have done reasonally well considering that we have no national or foreign palyers but still managed to win six points just like seasoned MHL team Maybank," said Rajan who coaches the 2009 Junior World Cup team to 12th among 20 nations.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces Juniors extended their lead to seven points when they hammered Universiti Sains Malaysia 5-1 in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.

DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council 2 Bukit Jalil Sports School 1, Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (rained off), Armed Forces Juniors 5 Universiti Sains Malaysia 1.

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 7 6 1 0 20 4 19
BJSS 7 4 0 3 15 8 12
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
IPOH CH 8 3 2 3 14 16 11
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
USM 7 2 0 5 9 22 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Another Stahr-ry nite for UniKL

PHILIPP Stahr shone like a beacon to guide UniKL
to a last-minute victory against Maybank in the
Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at
the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
The highly charged match, which saw six yellow
cards being flashed, was heading towards a 1-1
draw but a last minute penalty corner gave full
points to the university side.
UniKL's German import Kevin Lim gave them the
lead with a 39th minute penalty corner but
39-year-old former international Chairil Anwar
equalised for Maybank with a 55th minute field goal.
The match turned robust after that, and six five
were flashed the yellow card to cool down the
situation.
From Maybank, K. Gobinathan (35th), Riduan
Nasir (66th) and Hairul Nizam (41st) were flashed
the yellow, as for UniKL, Khairil Anuar saw yellow
twice (in the 47th and 59th minutes) while Syamin
Yusof was sent out in the (59th).
And just when Maybank were ready to celebrate
their hard-fough draw, UniKL won a penalty corner
in the 70th minute and Stahr flicked in the winner.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan attributed his team's
erratic form to injuries, and inexperienced juniors.
"I am not making excuses forour worst season in
a decade, but we have been bogged down by a
string of injuries, six players to be precise, and have
also fielded five juniors who lack match
experience," said Wallace.
Among those injured are Maybank's only national
player Hafifi Hafiz: "The young players made some
basic mistakes which led to goals being scored
against us. But I am still giving them maximum
time, because I am looking at the next season,
where hopefully they will become more confident."
Tenaga Nasional bounced back from a 2-0 defeat
to Sapura on Friday to hammer Nur Insafi 5-2.
Amin Rahim, the best flicker in the country,
delivered a hat-trick in the 25th, 47th and 55th
minutes, while the other goals were scored by
Faizal Saari (58th, 67th).
However, TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini was far
from satisfied with their campaign so far.
"We are too far back to chase the leaders (KLHC)
and our mission now is to finish second and avoid
KLHC in the quarter-finals draw.
"I am happy with today (yesterday) but we lost
out against Sapura, UniKL and YNS. And in the last
two matches we had 12 penalty corners but failed
to score a single goal, even though we have the
best flicker in the country.
"It looks like winning the Leaue title is out of our
hands, and we must plan for the TNB Cup from
now," said Saiful, a former national skipper.
In another match, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club
(KLHC) rested many key players against UITM, but
still won 6-1 with ease to strenghten their grip at
the top of the standings.

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 10 8 1 1 47 15 25
YNS 10 7 0 3 35 22 21
UNIKL-TRC 10 6 2 2 18 14 20
TNB 10 6 1 3 21 12 19
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 10 4 1 5 18 30 13
MAYBANK 9 1 3 5 7 14 6
ATM-AIROD 10 2 0 8 10 32 6
UITM 10 1 0 9 14 39 3

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS: Maybank 1 UniKL 2,
Tenaga Nasional 5 Nur Insafi 2, Kuala Lumpur
Hockey Club 6 UiTM 1, Yayasan Negri Sembilan 3
Armed Forces-Airod 1.
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit
Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm),
Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC
(Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v
Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Friday, January 28, 2011

KLHC break free

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) survived by the
skin-of-their-teeth to start their breakaway journey
in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey
League at the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
KLHC took a 2-0 lead, but they allowed UniKL to
crawl back into the match but eventually won 3-2 to
take a five point lead midway in the League.
And in another match, Sapura indicated that they
have reached a turning point when they beat
Tenaga Nasional 2-0.
However, KLHC look set to consolidate their lead
when they play bottom-of-the-table whipping boys
UITM today at the same venue.
"We almost paid the price for being complacent
after taking a 2-0 lead. It almost turned out to be a
disaster as we allowed UniKL to draw level but I am
happy that we walked away with three points in
this crucial encounter," said KLHC coach K.
Dharmaraj.
KLHC took the lead off Mohamed Noor Faeez off a
field attempt in the fourth minute, but were made to
struggle until the 32nd minute before increasing the
lead off Baljit Singh's penalty corner attempt.
However, UniKL fought back with goals from
Ramadan Rosli in the 51st minute, and Syamim
Yusof in the 59th minute.
Razie Rahim, a national penalty corner flicker,
saved the day for KLHC when he flicked in a crucial
goal in the 66th minute.
Sapura, who were struggling initially in the
League, found their footing against Charity Shield
holders Tenaga Nasional but coach I. Vickneswaran
is not ready to read too much into this game.
"Yes, we started off in a stutter and are now on an
upward trend, but KLHC are too far ahead to chase.
"We will continue playing our game and not be too
focussed on chasing the leaders at this stage.
"Hopefully, the good vibes will continue, and we
will see where it leads," said Vickneswaran.
Sapura dominated the match but could only open
scoring in the 57th minute of Izwan Firdaus' field
attempt, while Rodhanizam Radzi slammed in the
second in the 60th minute.
Tenaga looked like they lost their script as
national player, and a crucial keg in defense, Madzli
Ikmar had to give the match a miss as his wife went
into labour yesterday.

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 9 7 1 1 41 14 22
YNS 9 6 0 3 32 21 18
UNIKL-TRC 9 5 2 2 16 13 17
TNB 9 5 1 3 16 10 16
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 9 4 1 4 16 25 13
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS: Tenaga Nasional 0
Sapura 2, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 3 UniKL 2,
Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6 Nur Insafi 1, Armed
Forces-Airod x UiTM x.
TOMORROW: (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium):
Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur
Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM
(6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed
Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit
Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm),
Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC
(Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v
Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Heat is on in Kuantan, JB doubtful

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club will be looking for a clean break from the chasing pack when they play UniKL in the Premier Division of the Malaysia hockey League at the Kuantan Stadium today.
KLHC are just two points away from second placed UniKL, and look good to snatch full points judging from the first round 4-0 drubbing they handed the university side.
And the next day, KLHC will play UITM, whom they whipped 1-0 in the first round.
“The League will being its second round journey, and I have told my players to forget the earlier encounters. We did beat UniKL and UITM with healthy margins in the first round, but will not take matters for granted in Kuantan,” said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
KLHC will be fielding their full side after five matches, as Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor has served his five-match suspension for his involvement in a shoving match with Yayasan Negri Sembilan players.
“UniKL have improved much since we beat them, and that us why it is important that my players give their best tomorrow (today) and after that, we will not be looking for goals but just three more points from UITM.
“Nabil will be back after five matches, and our injury list is also clean, as all of them have recovered and will play in Kuantan,” said Dharmaraj.
While KLHC are almost assured of maximum points, third placed Tenaga Nasional will have their hands full against Sapura are could drift further down the standings if they keep up with their erratic form which saw them lost 1-0 to Yayasan Negri Sembilan last weekend in Penang.
Meanwhile the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, which is supposed to host the MHL teams on Feb 18 and 19, have been hit by electrical problems to their floodlights.
The Stadium, which was hosted for the 2009 Junior World Cup, is hardly 18-months old, but switchboards are said to have been stolen.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) will seek answers from the Johor HA during their council meeting in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, and if the problem can’t be fixed, the Johor round will be held at the Tun Razak Stadium instead.


STANDINGS

PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

PREMIER DIVISION: Today (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Tomorrow: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

As erratic as it can get

THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division teams are so erratic, that it is hard to predict the champion even at its half-way stage.
Even seasoned MHL coach K. Rajan, formerly with the Tenaga Nasional outfit, is confused as outstation matches in Ipoh and Penang has produced some stunning upsets.
Rajan, now coaching Armed Forces-Airod, feels they still have a chance of playing in the quarter-finals, even though they are second from the bottom after eight matches.
“I was a little surprised with Maybank when they held leaders KLHC (Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club) to a 2-2 draw, but then lost to my team (1-0) the next day.
“When they matches were held in Kuala Lumpur, the results were easily predictable, but the change in venues has seen some teams struggling to cope.
“But in the same breath, I can see some drastic changes in my players after they played eight matches. There is more confidence in them, and I hope the win against Maybank will change our fortunes in the second round,” said Rajan.
The first weekend of the second round will be played in Kuantan, and teams who can’t adapt to the artificial pitch there are going to collapse again.
The top-six teams in Premier Division, and the top two teams in Division One will play in the quarter-finals.
“Ending fifth or sixth is still within our reach, and that will be our target from now,” said Rajan.
As for the overall standard of the League the established coach said: “Same old faces are playing for their clubs, but there is some fresh talent rising from the ranks of the Project 2013 players. Otherwise, our future generation of players are getting their exposure in Division One.”

STANDINGS

PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

PREMIER DIVISION: Friday (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Saturday: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Monday, January 24, 2011

AHF, Kumar invincible to parent bodies

COMMENT
By Jugjet Singh

THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) does not give a hoot about the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), and likewise the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) harbours the same feeling for award winning goalkeeper S. Kumar.
There seems to be a total lack of communication between Asia and the parent body, as even the election of AHF office bearers on Jan 15 has failed to surface on www.fihockey.org to date.
In fact, even on the AHF website, www.asiahockey.org, there is only a passing mention of the elections, while a check of the ‘Office Bearers’ icon on the website still has the names of the old council.
So much for trying to promote hockey among the masses.
Kumar’s story is another bungle which can only be described as “shameful”.
The keeper was named he Best Player in Asia during the AHF Congress and received his award with much pomp and pageantry, but he is a little confused about the lack of information, and the silence of MHF and his home state Negri Sembilan.
Firstly, he did not know he had won the award but when informed by journalists a day earlier, he was completely bewildered and thanked the journalists because he was about to head home to Tampin as there was a break for his team in the Malaysia Hockey League.
And after collecting his award, Kumarnever so much as received an SMS or a call from anybody in MHF. Even Negri Sembilan hockey officials did not bother to congratulate him.
Kumar, a product of Tunku Besar Secondary School in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, is among the best goalkeepers in the world and his uncompromising work between the posts has many a time saved Malaysia the blushes.
He has also been named as an Asian All-Star Player, together with teammates Razie Rahim and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, which is another feather in his cap.
The official information highway on the worldwide web is also silent on the tournaments being played in Malaysia and Asia as, even the recent Asian Games results could not be found on the AHF site.
MHF also does not have a vehicle to publish results on the ongoing Malaysia Hockey League and those who are hungry for information have to rely on an unofficial site (www.tnbmhl.com.my), and a blog.
Asia were robbed blind when FIH gave Oceania, who only have Australia and New Zealand as serious hockey nations, two spots in the Olympics, while Asia was only given one in the Asian Games even though South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan and China are die-hard supporters of the sport and are credibly ranked in the world.
So, it is plain for even the blind to see that AHF and its members’ contribution is second class in the eyes of the FIH, and Kumar is also a non-entity for his parent-body.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

BJSS recover from hangover

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) made a remarkable recovery when they whipped Bandar Penawar Sports School 4-1 in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League yes terday.
Both the Sports Schools had played on Friday, but BJSS were beaten 2-0 by BPSS in Kuala Lumpur, but the return match in Bandar Penawar was a total opposite.
And with league leaders Armed Forces Juniors dropping two points against Ipoh City Council in a 0-0 encounter, BJSS and BPSS have a better chance of playing catch-up in the return leg matches.
Faridzul Afiq scored in the first minute itself to rattle BPSS, and Dangerous Lee made it 2-0 with a 28th minute penalty corner attempt.
Shahril Saabah injected some hope into the BPSS game when he narrowed the gap with a 32nd minute field goal, but Dangerous made it 3-1 in the 37th minute while Farid Zuki scored in the 59th minute to give BJSS a comfortable win.
BJSS coach S. Prakash, who had benched five of his players for disciplinary problems, attributed the win to mental strength.
“The suspended players were fielded on Friday but we still lost 2-0 to BJSS because my players gave them too much of respect.
“I have been motivating the boys since, and today (yes terday) they played to their true potential, and I attribute the win to their mental strength,” said Prakash.
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Rahman was amazed with the transformation of his rivals.
“This was a totally different side from the one which we played on Friday. They were very confident with the ball, and the first minute goal also played a big part in our defeat,” said Roslan.


STANDINGS
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1

DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Armed Forces Juniors 0 Ipoh CH 0, Bandar Penawar Sports 1 Bukit Jalil Sports School 4, Malacca CC 2 UniTen 1.


PREMIER DIVISION: Friday (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Saturday: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Saturday, January 22, 2011

YNS zap Tenaga 1-0

By K. Kandiah
nstsport@nstp.com.my

YAYASAN Negri Sembilan (YNS) shocked Charity Shield holders Tenaga Nasional with a solitary goal in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the USM Stadium in Penang yesterday.
YNS, who were whipped 6-1 by Sapura on Friday, were not the only ones celebrating the victory, as table-toppers Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) also had a million reasons to smile.
KLHC were held to a 2-2 draw by Maybank on Friday, but the TNB defeat consolidated their grip in Premier Division again.
And the toast for YNS was their Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi who was in his element, and masterminded the 48th minute attack, for Prabhjot Singh to tuck in the winner.
Shakeel initiated the goal after he beat three defenders and took a sizzling shot from the edge of the semi circle which was dutifully stopped by TNB goalkeeper S. Kumar, but the ball trickled away from him and Prabhjot made it count.
TNB were guilty of bungling all their penalty corners as they had five in the first half, and another two after the breather but the country’s best flicker Amin Rahim was run- out before he could lift the ball.
In another match, Sapura came back from being two goals down to beat bottom-of-the-table UiTM.
UiTM, who had lost all seven matches before yesterday, shocked Sapura in the third minute when Izad Hakim scored and and then consolidated their lead in the 18th minute when Faheed Saifullah was on target off a counter attack.
Ahmad Kazamirul initiated the Sapura comeback with a penalty corner goal in the 47th minute and two minutes later Faisal Kamarudin levelled the score after receiving a cross from skipper S. Kuhan.
And Kazamirul stole the thunder again when he converted another penalty corner in the 55th minute to save the blushes for his club.
YNS coach Hasmizan Ah Sim said: “TNB played well and were in control most of the time but we took that rare chance that came our way and defended well for the win.
“After our defeat (6-1 to Sapura), we had a two hour meeting with the players where it was made clear that playing as a unit wins matches and I am happy that the advice was heeded.”
TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini said he was disappointed with his charges, as it was their worst performance since the league started.
“We had the same problem when we lost to UniKL but the match against YNS was the worst to date. I felt my players lost their confidence in this match, and now I believe we are not strong enough to win the League title,” admitted the former skipper.

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 5 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 12 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1

PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- TNB 0 YNS 1, Sapura 3 UiTM 2, Maybank 0 ATM-Airod 1, UniKL 1 Nur Insafi 1.
DIVISION ONE: TOMORROW -- Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Friday, January 21, 2011

Tigers bite two points off KLHC

By K. Kandiah
nstsport@nstp.com.my

MAYBANK pulled off a stunning upset when they held top- of-the-table Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) to a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Stadium in Minden yesterday.
Before yesterday, the Tigers were seventh in the nine-team tournament, and were not seen as a threat to the star- studded KLHC side.
KLHC took the lead in the ninth minute when Ismail Abu collected a pass from Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and beat Maybank goalkeeper Abdul Hakim Hassan from close range.
However, Maybank drew level in the 25th minute when Hairul Nizam slammed the ball home after a botched penalty corner and five minutes later Maybank took the lead when Ridzuan Nasir collected a loose ball from the right to beat goalkeeper Kairulnizam Ibrahim.
But just before the breather, KLHC won a penalty corner and Razie Rahim’s attempt was blocked and fell in front of Tengku Ahmad who scored the crucial equaliser and the score remained.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan said his charges worked hard for the draw: “It is an important point for us as it indicated that we are getting into our form (as they had only won one match after seven matches). We knew that it was never going to be easy against KLHC but it turned out that we could have got all three points had we taken our chances.”
“Now I am looking forward to the second round next week,” said Wallace, whose side plays Armed Forces today for the last first round match.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj said one point was better than none: “The tournament is just at is at its middle stage, and I am not too worried that we dropped two points.”
Dharma also lamented on the mid-day heat: “It was very hot as the match was played at 3pm. A draw is not the end of the world, at least we got a rude wake-up call.”
In another match, Sapura upset Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6- 1 to record only their third win in the tournament.
Sapura’s goals were scored by Radzhanizam Radzi (40th, 44th, 57th) Redzuan Ponirin (9th), Jiwa Mohan (65th) and Ahmad Kazamirul (67th).
Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi scored the consolation for YNS, who are fielding 11 foreigners in the MHL.
In Division One, Bandar Penawar Sports School hit two goals past Bukit Jalil Sports School with both the goals coming from Shahril Saabah off penalty corners in the 49th amd 69th minutes.
Armed Forces Juniors continued to dominate with a 4-1 win over Ipoh City Council.

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
UNIKL-TRC 7 5 1 1 13 9 16
YNS 7 4 0 3 25 20 12
SAPURA 7 3 0 4 22 17 9
NUR INSAFI 7 4 0 3 14 18 12
MAYBANK 7 1 3 3 6 11 6
ATM-AIROD 7 1 0 6 8 27 3
UITM 7 0 0 7 9 30 0

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 6 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 13 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1

PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- Maybank 2 KLHC 2, Sapura 6 YSN 1, UniKL 4 ATM-Airod 0, Nur Insafi 2 UiTM 1.
TODAY - (all matches at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hockey Stadium in Minden) Today: TNB v YNS (3pm), Sapura v UiTM (4.45pm), Maybank v ATM-Airod (6.30pm), UniKL v Nur Insafi (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Ipoh CC 1 Armed Forces Juniors 4, Bukit Jalil Sports School 0 Bandar Penawar Sports School 2, UniTen 0 Malacca CC 3.
TOMORROW: Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Thursday, January 20, 2011

KLHC set to soar higher

By K. Kandiah
nstsport@nst.com.my

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) look set to maintain their lead in the nine-team Premier Division of the TNB- Malaysia Hockey League which will travel to Penang this weekend.
The defending champions, who overtook Tenaga Nasional (TNB) after thrashing UiTM 10-0 on Tuesday, will play seventh placed Maybank, and look good to seal full points.
KLHC have in their ranks a star-studded national line-up while Tenaga Nasional grabbed the rest of the national talents leaving the other teams to make do with retired and foreign players.
Second placed Tenaga Nasional, who are just two points behind the leaders and a real threat to KLHC’s ambitions, will see action on Saturday against Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YSN) at the same venue.
Penang State Hockey Association (PSHA) secretary V. Jayanandhan hopes hockey fans will throng to the stadium to provide support.
“It is not often that we get to watch the nations top players in action in Penang. And I hope the fans will take this opportunity to come and watch top-class action,” he said.
Jayanandhan said that this was the second time that the MHL Premier Division matches were being played in Penang.
And last season, the USM was filled to the brim, and Jayanandhan hopes that this year the matches will also receive equal support.

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 7 6 0 1 36 10 18
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
UNIKL-TRC 6 4 1 1 9 9 13
YNS 6 4 0 2 24 14 12
NUR INSAFI 6 3 0 3 12 17 9
SAPURA 6 2 0 4 16 16 6
MAYBANK 6 1 2 3 4 9 5
ATM-AIROD 6 1 0 5 8 23 3
UITM 6 0 0 6 8 28 0

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 4 4 0 0 11 2 12
BJSS 4 3 0 1 10 4 9
BPSS 4 3 0 1 9 6 9
IPOH CH 5 2 1 2 12 11 7
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
MALACCA CC 5 1 0 4 5 8 3
UNITEN 4 0 1 3 2 9 1

FIXTURES - PREMIER DIVISION (all matches at the Uni versiti Sains Malaysia Hockey Stadium in Minden) Today: Maybank v KLHC (3.30pm); Sapura v YSN (5.15pm); UniKL v ATM-Airod (7pm); Nur Insafi v Uitm (8.45pm).
Tomorrow: TNB v YNS (3pm) ; Sapura v UiTM (4.45pm); Maybank v ATM-Airod (6.30pm); UniKL v Nur Insafi (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Today: Ipoh CC v Armed Forces Juniors (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bukit Jalil Sports School v Bandar Penawar Sports School (Education Ministry Stadium, 5pm), UniTen v Malacca CC (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).
Sunday: Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Perak HA in dire straits

THE Perak Hockey Association has received a stern warning from the Sports Commissioner's Office to get its house in order as five of its nine affiliates have been inactive for a long time.
Perak HA was supposed to hold its Biennial General Meeting by December last year but the Commissioner's office told the association to sort out problems with its affiliates before holding elections.
"We have been in communication with the Commissioner's office who is unhappy because five of our affiliates have not been active but we are in the midst of re-activating the said affiliates," said Perak HA secretary Sallehuddin Mokhtar.
The Commissioner's office has set March as the deadline for Perak to hold its BGM.
"For sure we will be able to meet the March deadline as work is being done to get all the paperwork ready," added Sallehuddin.
The Perak HA president is Datuk Rahim Ariff.

Thumping win for KLHC

By Ajitpal Singh

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) leapfrogged Tenaga Nasional (TNB) as the new Premier Division leaders of the Malaysia Hockey League after they thrashed hapless UiTM 10-0 at the KLHC Stadium in Pantai yesterday.
KLHC, the defending champions, collected 18 points, two more than TNB, from seven matches and are now primed to retain their title.
Ismail Abu scored a hat-trick in the fourth, 34th and 43rd minutes from open play while penalty corner specialist Razie Rahim added a brace in the 54th and 60th minutes.
Other goals were from Harvinder Singh (25th), Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Abdul Jalil (28th), Azli Misron (56th), Ahmad Anuar Sham Kamar (67th) and Muhd Amerullah Abd Aziz (69th).
Coach K. Dharmaraj said his players showed their true form in yesterday's match.
"We wanted goals and we got 10 today (yesterday). I instructed my boys to make the most of their chances and they did just that," said Dharmaraj at the KLHC Stadium yesterday.
"I would not say that it was an easy match as UiTM also had chances to score. We just took most of ours and it made the difference."
KLHC continue their campaign in the Premier League against Maybank at the USM Hockey Stadium on Friday.

Monday, January 17, 2011

KLHC poised to snatch mid-way lead

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are poised to take the half-way lead in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League when they play the rain-interrupted match against UiTM today.
The match was scheduled to be held on Friday, but was called off after 20 minutes of play because of torrential rain.
KLHC should get the better of the University side, as they have a star-studded national line-up.
“We will be looking to top the table tomorrow (today) to be in a good position at the half-way mark, to keep the League title in sight,” said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
KLHC signed the lion’s share of national players, while Tenaga Nasional took another big bite out of the national talent pool -- leaving the rest to make do with retired and foreign players.
This is a cause for concern, as the lack of talent forced Yayasan Negri Sembilan to hire 11 foreigners, while Nur Insafi have seven and UniKL four.
National assistant coach Tai Beng Hai, who recently be came an International Hockey Federation High Performance Coach as well as a Development Coach, lamented the fact that there is not enough talent to go around.
“This league is a good avenue for players to show their skills, but sadly, there are not enough good local players for clubs to hire, so they have to sign foreigners.
“In fact, even in the national outfit, we lack back-up players who can challenge the positions of established players,” said Beng Hai.
However, he sees a brighter future as many projects are being implemented right now to fill the void.
“The 1Mas and Project 2013 will chart our future, and hopefully it produces many talent to select from, so that those who are in the national team can’t take their positions for granted, and will continue to keep ahead of the competition,” said Beng Hai.
The national team came within a whisker of glory, but lost in two crucial finals, the World Cup Qualifiers and the Asian Games, and will now have to go through an Olympic Qualifier next year.
PREMIER DIVISION: Tuesday -- UiTm v Kuala Lumpur HC (Pantai Stadium, 7.30pm).

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pt
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
KLHC 6 5 0 1 26 10 15
UNIKL-TRC 6 4 1 1 9 9 13
YNS 6 4 0 2 24 14 12
NUR INSAFI 6 3 0 3 12 17 9
SAPURA 6 2 0 4 16 16 6
MAYBANK 6 1 2 3 4 9 5
ATM-AIROD 6 1 0 5 8 23 3
UITM 5 0 0 5 8 18 0

Azlan Shah unopposed, Beng Hai soars

SULTAN Azlan Shah has been returned unopposed as president of the Asian Hocey Federation (AFH), a post which he has held since 1994.
Also returned unopposed as AFH secretary was Tan Sri P. Alagendra, who has also held the post since 1994, while the elections today will fill up four vice presidents' and 10 council members' posts.
The term of office will be until 2014.
The congress meeting today will be followed by the presentation of the AHF awards.
The awards to be presented are the Sultan Azlan Shah Award for contribution towards Asian Hockey, AHF President's Award for Man and Woman, Order of Merit, Member of Honour, Best Player Award for Man and Women and Best Youth Player Award for Boy and Girl.
There was more good news for Malaysia as senior assistant coach Tai Beng Hai is now an International Hockey Federation (FIH) high performance coach as well as development coach. Former International Lim Chiow Chuan also qualified as a high performance coach.
FIH high performance committee secretary Tayyab Ikram, said: "It is indeed a proud moment for Malaysian hockey as these two coaches have shown that they have what it takes to reach a high level in their field."

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Kumar recognised by AHF

MALAYSIAN No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar yesterday broke new ground when he was named as Asia’s Best Player by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) at its Congress in Kuala Lumpur.
The 32-year-old from Tampin, Negri Sembilan, became the first Malaysian to win the award as before this Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin was awarded the Best Youth Player award by AHF.
However, it came as no surprise as Kumar has been named as the Best Goalkeeper in eight international tournaments.
Last year Kumar lost his father, Subramaniam, in the midst of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, but he went on to represent the country at the Asian Games leas than a month later, and helped Malaysia win a silver medal, their first ever in the Asiad.
“It is indeed a honour that I will cherish forever. I dedicate this award to my late father who encouraged me right from the beginning,” said Kumar.
“Without the sacrifices of my father, I will not be here today.
“My dream is to play at the Olympics and I will do my best to keep the goals away when we play in the Qualifiers,” said Kumar.
Meanwhile, AHF held their elections yesterday to elect four vice presidents as Sultan Azlan Shah was returned un opposed as president, while Tan Sri P. Alagendra also retained his secretary’s post unposed.
The four veeps who were elected yesterday were Datuk Sri Muneyoshi Ueda (Jpn), Chaiyapak Siriwat (Thai), Narinder Bahtra (India), Qasim Zia (Pak), while the two nominated vice-presidents were Shun Jung Hee and Hong Moon Pyo, both from South Korea.
AHF PLAYERS AWARDS: Man -- S. Kumar (Malaysia); Women: Park Mih Yun (S Kor); Boy: Syed Kashif Shah (Pakistan); Girl: Zhao Yudiao (China).


Tenaga to the top

TENAGA Nasional edged Sapura 3-2 to top the Premier Division Standings of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.
Tenaga's Faizal Saari scored two goals in the 14th and 40th minutes, while the other goal was scored by Amin Rahim in the 46th minute.
The Sapura goals were scored by Ahmad Kazamirul (31st) and Izwan Firdaus (48th).
In another match, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC)stopped UniKL's unbeaten run by hiting four goals past them.
UniKL were unbeaten before yesterday, but after letting in two quick goals just before the half-time hooter, they collapsed.
Former international Chua Boon Huat took his personal tally to nine goals with a brace yesterday. He opened accounts with a penalty corner deflection in the 31st minute, and a minute later Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin made it 2-0 with a soft field attempt.
After the breather, Chua scored off another field attempt, while another soft touch from Azli Misron in the 67th minute gave the leaders a comfortable win.
"To beat an unbeaten side 4-0 is a great achievement, but in reality it was a close match as they also had their chances, but could not convert. I felt we did not play to our true potential, but still, the three points are what we were looking for," said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
UniKL coach Darren Smith lamented on the soft goals, which doused his team's fire.
"I expected to face a tough time against an outfit which has some of the best players in the country. However, we were guilty of letting in soft goals which made it difficult to bounce back in the second half," said Darren.
Yayasan Negri Sembilan won the battle of foreigners when they beat Nur Insafi 4-2 to be placed fourth on the standings.
YNS have 11 foreigners while Nur Insafi seven, but the quality of play was way below standard.
Prabhjot Singh, from India, saved the blushes for YNS by scoring all four goals in the 40th, 49th, 61st and 65th minutes to bring his tally to nine goals. The Nur Insafi goals were scored by Kashif Ali in the 54th and 68th minutes.


RESULTS: UniKL 0 Kuala Lumpur HC 4, Nur Insafi 2 Yayasan Negri Sembilan 4, Sapura 2 Tenaga Nasional 3, UiTM 2 Armed Forces-Airod 3.

Division One -- Sunday: Bukit Jalil SS v Ipoh City Council (Pantai Ministry Stadium, 5pm), Malacca CC v Bandar Pe nawar SS (Malacca Stadium, 5pm), Universiti Sains Malaysia v Armed Forces Juniors (USM, 5pm).

PREMIER DIVISION: Tuesday -- UiTm v Kuala Lumpur HC (Tun Razak Stadium, 5.30pm).

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pt
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
KLHC 6 5 0 1 26 10 15
UNIKL-TRC 6 4 1 1 9 9 13
YNS 6 4 0 2 24 14 12
NUR INSAFI 6 3 0 3 12 17 9
SAPURA 6 2 0 4 16 16 6
MAYBANK 6 1 2 3 4 9 5
ATM-AIROD 6 1 0 5 8 23 3
UITM 5 0 0 5 8 18 0

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 3 3 0 0 8 2 9
IPOH CH 4 2 1 1 11 8 7
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 3 2 0 1 7 5 6
USM 5 2 0 3 8 14 6
MALACCA CC 4 1 0 3 4 6 3
UNITEN 4 0 1 3 2 9 1

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Maybank-UniKL share points

UNIKL blew a golden opportunity when they were held to a scoreless draw by Maybank in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.
However the silver lining is that the University side is still unbeaten after five matches, but will have to pull up their socks against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club today.
UniKL coach Darren Smith was not disappointed with his charges as the 3.30pm heat did play a huge factor is slowing down their game.
"For a team which ended at the bottom of the table tast season, it is quite an achievement to remain unbeaten after five matches. We did have our chances but could not convert them, and I believe the heat played a big factor in slowing down our game, and the pace suited Maybank well," said Darren.
Maybank received four penalty corners, while UniKL six but both the sides wasted their chances with weak attempts.
"I consider the draw as a good result as we hit a bad patch and lost a string of matches before this. The fact that two of my regulars had to sit out because of injuries and I fielded five newcomers in the League makes the draw a good outing," said Maybank coach Wallace Tan.
Engku Malek, a defender, and striker Hafifi Hafiz both sat out due to injuries. The new face in Maybank which showed potential yeaterday was former national skiper Sarjit Singh's son Manraj Singh.
Maybank have played six matches, but won only one, drew two and lost three.
"Our young players like Manraj have started to show potential and I hope this draw will be the turning point in our campaign," said Wallace.
In another match, Tenaga Nasional beat Nur Insafi 3-0 with goals from Amin Rahim (34th, 70th) and Faizal Saari (53rd).
Torrential rain disrupted the Kuala Lumpur HC and UiTM match after 20 minutes of play and the match will be held on another day.
RESULTS: Premier Division -- Friday: UniKL 0 Maybank 0, Nur Insafi 0 Tenaga Nasional 3, UiTm v Kuala Lumpur HC (postponed), Armed Forces-Airod 1 Yayasan Negri Sembilan 5.

SATURDAY: UniKL v Kuala Lumpur HC (4pm), Nur Insafi v Yayasan Negri Sembilan (6pm), Sapura v Tenaga Nasional (8pm), UiTM v Armed Forces-Airod (KLH Stadium, 5pm).
Note: All other matches at the Tun Razak Stadium.

Division One -- Sunday: Bukit Jalil SS v Ipoh City Council (Pantai Ministry Stadium, 5pm), Malacca CC v Bandar Pe nawar SS (Malacca Stadium, 5pm), Universiti Sains Malaysia v Armed Forces Juniors (USM, 5pm).

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pt
TNB 6 4 1 1 13 5 13
UNIKL-TRC 5 4 1 0 9 5 13
KLHC 5 4 0 1 22 10 12
NUR INSAFI 5 3 0 2 10 13 9
YNS 5 3 0 2 20 12 9
SAPURA 5 2 0 3 14 13 6
MAYBANK 6 1 2 3 4 9 5
UITM 4 0 0 4 6 15 0
ATM-AIROD 5 0 0 5 5 21 0

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 3 3 0 0 8 2 9
IPOH CH 4 2 1 1 11 8 7
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 3 2 0 1 7 5 6
USM 5 2 0 3 8 14 6
MALACCA CC 4 1 0 3 4 6 3
UNITEN 4 0 1 3 2 9 1

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Make or break weekend for UniKL

UNIKL finished at the bottom of the pool last season, but blossomed into a title aspirant after four matches, and will get their chance to break free when they lock horns with Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League.
They will get another golden opportunity to collect points when they meet Maybank at the Tun Razak Stadium, but after that, they are likely to face a torrid time against league leaders KLHC the next day.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj attributed simple hockey to UniKL’s run: “They have Project 2013 players and their foreign signings are not big names, but by slaying YNS, Sapura and TNB, UniKL have shown that their brand of simple hockey is effective.”
Dharmaraj feels this weekend could make or break some teams.
“The league is still open, and I feel that there are at least four teams who can snatch the title if given a chance. That is why we need six points to keep ahead of the chasing pack,” said Dharmaraj.
As for UniKL: “Last weekend we went in thinking that four points would be good but upset the formbook and beat Sapura as well as Tenaga Nasional (both by 2-1 score lines) and it has opened up the league.
“I feel the same this weekend, and believe a total of four points against Maybank and KLHC would be a fantastic outing,” said UniKL manager Amir Azhar.
Their only ‘setback’ is that Nor Hizzat Sumantri will not play against Maybank for picking up two yellow cards.
“Other than that, we will have a full squad, and hopefully we can beat Maybank so that the players will be in a better frame of mind when they play KLHC,” said Amir.
Maybank, who last won a title in 1994, have been strug gling in the league as they drew 1-1 with defending Overall champions Tenaga Nasional and beat UiTM 2-0 but after that, they lost to Yayasan Negri Sembilan (1-4), Nur Insafi (0-2) and Sapura (0-2).

FIXTURES:
Premier Division -- Friday: UniKL v Maybank (3.30pm), Nur Insafi v Tenaga Nasional (5.15pm), UiTm v Kuala Lumpur HC (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v Yayasan Negri Sembilan (8.45pm).
Saturday: UniKL v Kuala Lumpur HC (4pm), Nur Insafi v Yayasan Negri Sembilan (6pm), Sapura v Tenaga Nasional (8pm), UiTM v Armed Forces-Airod (KLH Stadium, 5pm).
Note: All other matches at the Tun Razak Stadium.

Division One -- Sunday: Bukit Jalil SS v Ipoh City Council (Pantai Ministry Stadium, 5pm), Malacca CC v Bandar Pe nawar SS (Malacca Stadium, 5pm), Universiti Sains Malaysia v Armed Forces Juniors (USM, 5pm).

STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 5 4 0 1 22 10 12
UNIKL-TRC 4 4 0 0 9 5 12
TNB 5 3 1 1 10 5 10
NUR INSAFI 4 3 0 1 10 10 9
YNS 4 2 0 2 15 11 6
SAPURA 5 2 0 3 14 13 6
MAYBANK 5 1 1 3 4 9 4
UITM 4 0 0 4 6 15 0
ATM-AIROD 4 0 0 4 4 16 0

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 3 3 0 0 8 2 9
IPOH CH 4 2 1 1 11 8 7
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 3 2 0 1 7 5 6
USM 5 2 0 3 8 14 6
MALACCA CC 4 1 0 3 4 6 3
UNITEN 4 0 1 3 2 9 1

Monday, January 10, 2011

Fungus at every level

ARTIFICIAL hockey pitches are still a luxury in Malaysia even though they were introduced in early 1970s, and with the first Olympic Games on this surface being held at the 1976 Montreal edition.
There are less than 20 synthetic hockey pitches, which are in working order, and the number is fast dwindling because nobody seem to care about them.
Last weekend’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division matches were played at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh so that fans from the Silver State could watch some top action at their doorsteps.
But what a tragedy it turned out to be because when teams arrived days before the weekend fixtures, they found out to their horror that almost the entire surface of itch I and II were covered with black fungus.
The Stadium, named after a former MHF president, were laid barely two years ago for the Azlan Shah Cup but lack of use and poor maintenance is slowly destroying its surface.
Workers tried to wash the surface but it was of little help as players slipped and fell more than they should, and coaches fumed as their well laid plans turned as rotten as the pitch.
The Azlan Shah Stadium is out of bounds for schools as well as club teams, for reasons only known by those running the stadium, and the Premier Division players were left with a bad taste in their mouth, as well as a bag-full of black fungi stuck to their boots, attire and hockey sticks which followed them back home to Kuala Lumpur.
Another pitch that is going to meet the same fate is the newly laid Ministry of Education synthetic pitch in Jalan Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
The Ministry only allows schools, and recently the national men’s team were allowed to train there on a special MoU. Even university sides, leave alone clubs, are not allowed to make their bookings and this was evident when Universiti Sains Malaysia and UniTen had to play at the adjacent Kuala Lumpur HA pitch on Sunday while the Ministry’s pitch only had crows circling it.
The KLHA pitch is probably the most overused in the country as bookings are full from Am to PM, but is still looks like brand new after six years because of the proper care that it gets.
Now for the icing.
Both the artificial pitches at the Bukit Jalil Hockey Stadium were stripped when work started in May last year.
But up till today, there is hardly any progress at both the dug-up pitches as fingers are pointed at every direction for the delay.
And, MHF official believe both the pitches will not even be ready by the end of this year, and that is why the national men’s team have started training at the Ministry’s pitch while the MHF secure the playing rights to the Tun Razak Stadium.
The Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, as well as three pitches up north, one in the East Coast and one in Johor Baru have also crumbled or are only breeding fungi, instead of talent for the nation.

Happy-sad moment for Selvaraju

S. SELVARAJU, 25, gave his best against Tenaga Nasional in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League on Saturday, and instead of jubilation, ended up with mixed feelings.
Selvaraju, a former international who was dropped after he went to France to playn his trade and gain experience, was started his career with the TNB Junior Hockey League side and then graduated to their senior outfit.
But this season, he moved to UniKL, and his new home beat TNB 2-1 at the Azlan Shah Stadium.
“I gave my very best, like in all the matches I play, and of course was happy when we beat a strong TNB outfit, but there was also a tinge of sadness because I grew up with them,” said Selvaraju.
Selvaraju attributes the upset to the many young players in UniKL as well as their New Zealand coach Darren Smith.
“Our coach told us from the beginning that we will be put through drills not to prepare for the MHL, but for an international standard tournament.
“With that in our mindset, everybody worked like we were going to play in a world cup or Olympics, and it has done wonders to our attitude as well as fitness level,” said Selvaraju.
UniKL are tied on 12 points with Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club, but they have played one match less.
When asked about the 11 players who are below 20 in his side: “They are eager to learn and easy to communicate with. And they not only listen to the coach but also the seniors in the side when their mistakes are pointed out.
“I believe this is the best bunch of mates I have had for a long time, as every one is eager to learn and then give their best in matches.
“Personally speaking, I would like to see UniKL at the top of the podium, but it is only going to get tougher after our last win against TNB,” said Selvaraju.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Army Juniors march on

ARMED Forces Juniors consolidated their grip when they beat Malacca City Council 2-1 in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
The Army juniors remain unbeaten after three matches, and are followed closely by Ipoh City Council who beat Bandar Penawar Sports School 3-0 to be placed second on seven points.
In another match yesterday, Universiti Sains Malaysia beat UniTen 1-0 with the winner scored by Razak Saidin in the 14th minute.
Army took the lead off Rahimie Razak in the 11th minute only to see Faizal Maadun equalise for Malacca CC in the 15th minute. The winner was delivered by Shukri Aziz in the 35th minute.
Ipoh collected maximum points with a concerted push in the first half which saw Azam Azman (seventh), Jasdev Singh (30th) and Mohamed Noor Saad sounding the board.
RESULTS: Ipoh CC 3 Bandar Penawar Sports School 0, ATM Jnrs 2 Malacca CC 1, UniTen 0 Universiti Sains Malaysia 1.

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 3 3 0 0 8 2 9
IPOH CH 4 2 1 1 11 8 7
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 3 2 0 1 7 5 6
USM 5 2 0 3 8 14 6
MALACCA CC 4 1 0 3 4 6 3
UNITEN 4 0 1 3 2 9 1

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Stahr twinkles for UniKL

UNIKL German import Phillip Stahr twinkled late in the match to hand his side a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Tenaga Nasional to wrestle the top spot in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh yesterday.
TNB were guilty of committing a string of errors when presented with open chances to seal the match, and handed over the reigns to the unbeaten University side with ease.
UniKL were gifted the lead by TNB’s Amin Rahim in the 20th minute when the defender failed to lift the ball more than 10-feet when attempting an overhead flick.
The ball was snatched just outside the TNB semi-circle, and 19-year-old Amir Farid beat national No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar for the lead.
But Amin made up for the blunder when he scored off a penalty corner flick three minutes later and the score stood until the 66th minute.
The stars shone on Stahr when he tucked in the winner from close range to give UniKL the well deserved three points.
TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini was disappointed with his charges: “I am really disappointed with the way my team played today (yesterday) and I will have a look at the recording to see what really went wrong, and rectify the problem areas before the next match.”
As for UniKL coach Darren Smith: “I am happy we kept our unbeaten record against a strong side like TNB. But I predict the tournament to become much more difficult after this weekend.”
In other matches Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Yayasan Negri Sembilan (YNS) went on a seven goal rampage each.
KLHC whipped Nur Insafi 7-2 while YNS followed suit with a 7-2 hammering of UiTM.
KLHC, who have only lost to TNB in the Charity Shield, have scored 22 goals in five matches, but have also let in a massive 10 to indicate their defense is suspect.
Yesterday, KLHC scored two goals inside one minute, when skipper Azlan Misron scored off a reverse stick attempt, and immediately after the restart, Chua Boon Huat nailed the second goal.
And after Baljit Singh scored off a penalty corner attempt in the 38th minute, Nur Insafi looked like they were ready to give up the fight.
Ismail Abu made it 4-0 up in the 45th minute but Nur Insafi scored two quick goals off Shabbir Ahmad Khan and Veer achamy Raja in the 48th and 51st minutes respectively.
However, former international Boon Huat doused the comeback fire in the 56th minute, and Azlan made it 6-2 while Ismail sealed the coffin with the seventh goal in the 66th minute.
Meanwhile, YNS bounced back from two defeats (UniKL 2- 1, and KL Hockey Club 6-3), with a massive win over UiTM. Muhamad Imran (eighth, 35th), Deepak Thakur (20th, 29th, 61st), Muhammad Waqas (46th), Shakeel Abbasi (55th),
The UiTM goals were scored by Ahmad Amirul (18th) and Hanif Ibrahim (50th).



RESULTS
Yayasan Negri Sembilan 7 UiTM (3pm) 2, Kuala Lumpur HC 7 Nur Insafi 2, TNB 1 UniKL 2, Maybank 0 Sapura 2.

STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 5 4 0 1 22 10 12
UNIKL-TRC 4 4 0 0 9 5 12
TNB 5 3 1 1 10 5 10
NUR INSAFI 4 3 0 1 10 10 9
YNS 4 2 0 2 15 11 6
SAPURA 5 2 0 3 14 13 6
MAYBANK 5 1 1 3 4 9 4
UITM 4 0 0 4 6 15 0
ATM-AIROD 4 0 0 4 4 16 0

DIVISION ONE
SUNDAY
Ipoh CC v Bandar Penawar Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), ATM Jnrs v Malacca CC (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), UniTen v Universiti Sains Malaysia (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).

STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 2 2 0 0 6 1 6
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 2 2 0 0 7 2 6
IPOH CH 3 1 1 1 8 8 4
MALACCA CC 3 1 0 2 3 4 3
USM 4 1 0 3 7 14 3
UNITEN 3 0 1 2 2 8 1

Friday, January 7, 2011

Leaders suffer on slippery pitch

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Tenaga Nasional had close shaves on a slippery pitch, but did just enough to win three points in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
Playing at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, KLHC beat ATM-Airod 3-1 while TNB edged UiTM 3-2.
The Azlan Shah Stadium was practically covered with fungus, and an effort to wash it down with high-powered water jets proved to be futile as KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj said it was a slippery match, and they were lucky to collect three points.
“The pitch was covered with fungus when we arrived yesterday (Thursday) and some workers tried to wash it with high-powered jets but it remained slippery and it turned into a difficult match,” said Dharmaraj.
And the fact that the Army men packed their circle made it more difficult for KLHC to score: “The Army team practically packed their circle and that is one reason why we could not score more goals. The other was that, although we had plenty of penalty corner chances but hit the post three times and it made out task that much harder,” said Dharmaraj.
Former international Chua Boon Huat stole the KLHC thunder with a brace. He scored the first in the 10th minute, but the Army boys equalised off Ahmad Ridzuan Zainal Abidin 46th minute.
However, Chua gave KLHC the lead again in the 51st minute, while Razie Rahim made it a respectable 3-1 with a 69th minute penalty corner attempt.
In the second match, TNB were lucky to collect full points and keep their position at the top of the table.
Tajol Rosli scored for TNB in the fifth minute and Mahinder Singh gave them a further boost with a 19th minute at tempt.
But Uitm shocked the Charity Shield holders in 44th minute via a penalty corner when Faheed Saifullah tucked the ball past S. Kumar.
TNB made it 3-1 in the 59th minute when Muhamad Fikri Bassar scored and it saved the day as Eldon Lemery reduced the deficit to 3-2 with a 70th thundering shot.


PREMIER DIVISION

RESULTS:
Kuala Lumpur HC 3 ATM-Airod 1, TNB 3 UiTM 2, Maybank 0 Nur Insafi 2, Sapura 1 UniKL 2.
SATURDAY
Yayasan Negri Sembilanv UiTM (3pm), Kuala lumpur HC v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), TNB v UniKL (6.30pm, Live Ch 801), Maybank v Sapura (8.15pm, Live Ch 801).
*All matches at Azlan Shah Stadium, Ipoh

STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pt
TNB 4 3 1 0 9 3 10
KLHC 4 3 0 1 15 8 9
NUR INSAFI 3 3 0 0 8 3 9
UNIKL-TRC 3 3 0 0 7 4 9
MAYBANK 4 1 1 2 4 7 4
SAPURA 4 1 0 3 12 13 3
YNS 3 1 0 2 8 9 3
UITM 3 0 0 3 4 8 0
ATM-AIROD 4 0 0 4 4 16 0

DIVISION ONE
RESULTS:
Bukit Jalil Sports School 1 Malacca CC 0, Bandar Penawar Sports School 4 Universiti Sains Malaysia 1, ATM Jnrs 4 UniTen 0.
SUNDAY
Ipoh CC v Bandar Penawar Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), ATM Jnrs v Malacca CC (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), UniTen v Universiti Sains Malaysia (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).
STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 2 2 0 0 6 1 6
BJSS 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
BPSS 2 2 0 0 7 2 6
IPOH CH 3 1 1 1 8 8 4
MALACCA CC 3 1 0 2 3 4 3
USM 4 1 0 3 7 14 3
UNITEN 3 0 1 2 2 8 1

Thursday, January 6, 2011

KLHC two down before start

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are slated to play easy matches this weekend, but the suspension of two players might just see them struggling in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
KLHC will play bottom-of-the-table ATM-Airod today, and then Nur Insafi tomorrow.
But the League champions will sorely miss Nabil Fiqri, suspended for five matches, and Megat Azrafiq, who will sit out for two matches.
Both the players were read the riot act, after they were involved in a fracas which also involved Yayasan Negri Sembilan import Vivek Gupta from India. Vivek ws also suspended for two matches.
“I find the action of my players totally irresponsible because the match had ended but they still got themselves involve in a fracas. I do not condone such behaviour, which borders stupidity, and now the the club is the one which is going to suffer,” said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
Suspensions were also meted out to six Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) students, after they assaulted five other stu dents, who are also hockey players, last month.
BJSS will now play with only 14 registered players in the match against Malacca in Division One.
“With only 16 players registered (instead of 18) we will be going for simple wins in both the matches this weekend. All we will be looking for is maximum six points, and even though we will be playing against a bottom-of-the-table side to morrow (today), it would be suicidal to underestimate them,” said Dharmaraj.
Charity Shield holders TNB, who beat KLHC 2-0 for the title, are sitting pretty at the top of the table and are highly likely to strengthen their grip when they square off against university sides UiTm and UniKL this weekend.

PREMIER DIVISION

FRIDAY
Kuala Lumpur HC v ATM-Airod (3.30pm), TNB v UiTM (5.15pm), Maybank v Nur Insafi (7pm), Sapura v UniKL (8.45pm).

SATURDAY
Yayasan Negri Sembilanv UiTM (3pm), Kuala lumpur HC v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), TNB v UniKL (6.30pm, Live Ch 801), Maybank v Sapura (8.15pm, Live Ch 801).

*All matches at Azlan Shah Stadium, Ipoh

STANDINGS

P W D L F A Pt
TNB 3 2 1 0 6 1 7
KLHC 3 2 0 1 12 7 6
NUR INSAFI 2 2 0 0 6 3 6
UNIKL-TRC 2 2 0 0 5 3 6
MAYBANK 3 1 1 1 4 5 4
SAPURA 3 1 0 2 11 11 3
YNS 3 1 0 2 8 9 3
UITM 2 0 0 2 2 5 0
ATM-AIROD 3 0 0 3 3 13 0


DIVISION ONE

FRIDAY
Bukit Jalil Sports School v Malacca CC (KLHA Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Universiti Sains Malaysia (BPSS pitch, 5pm), ATM Jnrs v UniTen (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).

SUNDAY
Ipoh CC v Bandar Penawar Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), ATM Jnrs v Malacca CC (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), UniTen v Universiti Sains Malaysia (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).

STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pt
IPOH CH 3 1 1 1 8 8 4
BJSS 2 1 0 1 6 3 3
BPSS 1 1 0 0 3 1 3
ATM JNR 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
MALACCA CC 2 1 0 1 3 3 3
USM 3 1 0 2 6 10 3
UNITEN 2 0 1 1 2 4 1