KLHC on goal spree

UNIKL blew a penalty stroke, and a handful of sitters, but still managed to hold Maybank to a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division Of the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
And Maybank had UniKL to thank for the two goals, as the University's Junior Hockey League top-scorer Zulhairi Hashim scored a brace to hand the Tigers one point.
UniKL took the lead off their first penalty corner, with the first attempt by Noor Faeez Ibrahim was saved by Maybank keeper Hafizuddin Othman.
But the rebound fell to Hafiz Zainol who then squared the ball to Izad Hakimi for the lead.
The seasoned Tigers pulled back to level terms who minutes later when Zulhairi scored off a penalty corner attempt.
A fitter UniKL took the match to Maybank after the breather and regained the lead off Izad Hakimi in the 45th minute, only to see Maybank draw level again in the 62nd minute, again off a Zulhairi penalty corner.
The match was heading for a draw, when UniKL were awarded a penalty stroke in the 65th minute, but Dedy Ariyady ballooned the ball and threw away two valuable points.
"Before the match, I was hoping that my charges would at least pull off a draw, but looking back now, we should have won full points. So we blew it big time," said UniKL manager Amir Azhar.
It was the third draw for UniKL, while Maybank rued their missed sitters and lamented the fact that they gave away too many penalty corners.
"We gave away penalty corners too easily, and that cost us the match. However, I have no complaints with the way my charges played, only we were not sharp in the semi-circle," said Maybank coach Wallace Tan.
In another Premier Division match, leaders Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) whipped Armed Forces Airod 9-3, to strenghten their grip on the title.
RESULTS -- Premier League: UiTM 0 TNB 6, Maybank 2 UniKL 2, Armed Forces Airod 3 KL Hockey Club 9, Nur Insafi 1 Sapura 7.
Division One: BJSS 0 Ipoh City Hall 1, SSTMI-Thunderbolt 2 Uniten 2.
SUNDAY -- Premier League: Sapura v UiTM (4pm, Pitch I NHS), UniKL v Nur Insafi Penang (5pm, Pitch II NHS), YNS v Maybank (6pm, Pitch I, NHS), TNB v Armed Forces Airod (8pm, Pitch I, NHS).
Division One: Ipoh City Hall v UNIMAP (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), SSTMI-Thunderbolt v BJSS (Taman Daya, 5pm).

Premier Division
P W D L F A Pts
KL HC 5 5 0 0 29 8 15
Sapura 4 4 0 0 16 4 12
TNB 5 3 1 1 16 6 10
Nur Insafi 5 2 0 3 9 18 6
UniKL 5 1 3 1 11 11 6
Maybank 4 1 1 2 8 9 4
YNS 4 1 0 3 5 16 3
UiTM 4 0 1 3 4 16 1
Airod 4 0 0 4 7 19 0

Division One
P W D L F A Pts
T’bolt 5 3 2 0 15 11 11
Ipoh CH 5 2 2 1 9 13 8
BJSS 5 1 2 2 10 6 5
UNIMAP 4 1 1 2 7 7 4
Uniten 5 0 3 2 6 10 3

FIH threatens India

The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The FIH has issued a veiled threat to block India's participation in the 2012 London Olympics in case the government does not grant Hockey India the status of National Sports Federation and if all lawsuits, including the one filed by IHF against it, are not terminated.
Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), the world governing body of the game, shot a letter to sports secretary Sindhusree Khullar, asking the government to comply with the requirement of the IOC charter and FIH statutes.
The FIH, in the letter, reminded the government the points which were agreed upon when its president Leandro Negre met sports minister Ajay Maken.
Just before Negre's arrival, FIH had stripped India of the hosting rights of Champions Trophy and moved the elite event to New Zealand because of the game's governance issues.
The FIH letter, signed by Negre, mentions seven issues, including the payment India owe to FIH with regard to hosting of the 2010 World Cup.
The FIH has asked the government to "advise Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) not to proceed with the implementation of the broad arrangement reached on July 25" with regard to governance of the game in the country.
The FIH has also asked the "government to recognise Hockey India under its guidelines as the National Sports Federation with complete and exclusive authority to govern men's and women's hockey in India, in respect of both national competitions and Indian participation in international competitions.
The letter also says that the Indian government will not fund or support any hockey event, which is not sanctioned by FIH and/or Hockey India.
Apart from asking the government to clear all the dues by writing to the concerned bank, the FIH wanted all lawsuits and other claims about who has the right to govern hockey in India, to be resolved and terminated.
"If the above is achieved, then there will be full compliance with the requirement of the IOC Charter and the FIH statutes and there will be no more concerns about the participation of Indian hockey team in FIH-sanctioned competitions such as London 2012 Olympic Games," the letter read.