Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Malaysia truly beat the Irish...

MALAYSIA kept a clean slate when they beat Ireland 3-1 in the Third Test at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
  The national team had already sealed the three-Test series before entering the pitch yesterday as they had beaten the Irish 4-2 in the First Test on Sunday, and 3-0 in the Second Test on Monday.
  Shane O Donoghue had give the Irish an early lead, but it was cancelled by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin off a field attempt in the 18th minute and the score remained until the half-time.
  Razie Rahim gave Malaysia the lead in the 42nd minute while Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin made it 3-1 in the 66th minute.
  The players are being primed for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on March 9-17 where they will play Asian teams India, Pakistan and South Korea and Oceania sides Australia and last year's champions New Zealand.
  The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) are still waiting for a reply from another team to make it a seven-team tournament.
  New Zealand, who beat Argentina 1-0 last year, have selected a youthful side for this edition while Malaysia will use the Irish Tests to select their best.
  As after that, they will be involved in two World Cup Qualifiers in the Hockey World League semi-finals in Johor Baru on June 29-July 7, as well as the Asia Cup in Ipoh on Aug 24-Sept 1.