JHL, Doha squad and Nor Saiful..

THE Junior Hockey League (JHL) will start on  Jan 10, with  more than 20 teams expected to challenge for titles in  Division One and Two.
   Entry forms were sent out to states yesterday, with closing  date on Dec 29. The Under-19 tournament made its debut in  1995, and has produced many outstanding players since.
    “We are expecting many teams to register for the tour nament, and if about 20 teams confirm entries, it will be run  on a two division format like previous years,” said Malaysian  Hockey Confederation (MHC) sectary Johari Aziz.
   Meanwhile, the senior team will attempt to pick up the   pieces when they compete in the Second Asian Champions   Trophy in Doha on Dec 20-27.
   After finishing fourth in the Champion Challenge I in   Argentina, coach Paul Revington gets another chance to spar   his players with the best in Asia in Doha.
    The South African will name his team today, and it is  expected to have more youth than experienced players in  it.
    But the Asian Champions Trophy will not be an easy   tournament as Pakistan and India showed that they are   vastly improved sides after finishing third and fourth re  spectively in the just concluded Champions Trophy.
   The other teams are Oman, China and Japan, with South   Korea opting to sit out.
   On another note, the MHC had sent Tenaga Nasional a  letter reprimanding their coach Nor Saiful Zaini for an  outburst in the media after his star player Faizal Saari was  ruled out ineligible to play in the first leg semi-finals of the  Malaysia Hockey League.
    Nor Saiful had said: “The decision to ban Faizal Saari for  one match is a weird and stupid penalty.”
    “There will not be any Disciplinary Board hearing on Nor  Saiful Zaini as the time has lapsed, but he has apologised to  the MHC and we have sent in a letter to Tenaga Nasional  highlighting the matter and I consider it closed,” said  Johari.