Jaded sports schools...

TENGKU Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) edged Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) 1-0 in Division One of the NSC-Milo-MHC Junior Hockey League yesterday.
  The double champions won by the skin-of-their-teeth, and if this is their standard, they would find it hard to defend both their titles.
  The two premier sports schools clash was a big disappointment, as both sides did not look like they have been training the whole year round under a proper system.
  The match was peppered with school-boy mistakes which one would not expect from sports school players, and both sides were blunt in the semi-circle thus missing many sitters which made the spartan crowd edgy on their seats.
  Shahril Saabah, the SSTMI skipper, was also a pale shadow of himself and did not look like the top-scorer of the JHL last season who took his team to the double.
  The only moment of brilliance, if one could call that, was when the ball tricked towards Ahmad Alif in the 16th minute, and he had all the time in the world to turn around and beat BJSS goalkeeper Aliff Aiman for the half-time lead.
  The half-time was another yawn, and after the final whistle, SSTMI and BJSS coaches both agreed that their players were not up to the mark.
  "I am a little surprised that my players could not play their normal game and their standard was about 50 percent lower than in training. Maybe they tried too hard and made a mess of matters," said SSTMI coach Wan Roslan.
  BJSS coach S. Prakash was also surprised that they only lost 0-1: "I was expecting a drubbing around the margin of 6-0 because we have a young side while SSTMI have established players who train in the 2013 as well as the 2017 Project squad," said Prakash.
 RESULTS: Division One -- Bukit Jalil SS 0 Tengku Mahkota Ismail SS 1, Petaling Jaya CC 3 Tengku Mahkota Ismail SS Juniors 2.
  RESULTS: Division One -- Bukit Jalil SS 0 Tengku Mahkota Ismail SS 1, Petaling Jaya CC 3 Tengku Mahkota Ismail SS Juniors 2.
  Division Two: Group A -- Kedah HA Juniors 1 Kelantan HA 2, Tuanku Abdul Rahman School 2 Raja Tun Azlan Shah Science 0, 1Mas Penang 5 Nur Insafi 0.
  Group B: Padang Midin 4 Tunas Muda Pahang 5, KL Sports School 8 Bukit Jalil SS Juniors 1, Datuk Taha 9 Kuala Langat 0, Olak 1 Tunku Besar Secondary School 2.
  TODAY: Division One -- Bukit Jalil SS v Petaling Jaya CC (Bukit Jalil, 7pm), Tengku Mahkota Ismail SS Juniors v UniKL (Taman Daya, 5pm), Malacca High School v MBI Anderson (Malacca, 5pm).
  Division Two: Group A -- 1Mas Penang v Matri Perlis (USM, 5pm), MSS Perlis v Kedah HA Juniors (Alor Star, 5pm), Tunas Muda Pahang v Olak (Kuantan, 5pm), Politeknik KPT v Kuala Lumpur Sports School (Taman Daya Pitch II, 5pm), Datuk Taha v Bukit Jalil SS Juniors (Seremban II, 5pm), Kuala Langat v Johor HA (Ministry of Education, 5pm).