MY TATTOO HORSE...

This horse has been by my side for years, n after midnight, its his year. Happy Chinese New Year guys!

Kumar the best..

NATIONAL No 1 and Asia’s best goalkeeper S. Kumar was  named as the man-of-the-match for Uttar Pardesh Wizards  when his heroics saw his side beat defending champions  Ranchi Rhinos 3-2 in the opening match of the Hockey India  League (HIL) yesterday.
   The Wizards, who finished third in the inaugural HIL last  year, twice came from a goal down to shock the home  team.
    Kumar 34, failed to cement a spot for the Wizards in its  inaugural edition last year, as he was only fielded in one  match throughout the month long tournament.
    However this time around head coach Roelant Oltmans  gave the Malaysian the go ahead in their opening match and  he did not disappoint.
    The other Malaysian players in the HIL are Radzi Rahim  and Faizal Saari who are with the Dabur Mumbai Magicians  team.

Rodhanizam: UniKL progressing well..

UNIKL young guns lost the Junior Hockey League Milo Cup title to Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts 1-0 last season.
    Back then, SSTMI dominated play, but UniKL were awarded nine penalty corners and wasted all -- and there is cause for worry about penalty corners again this season.
   UniKL, who have only played two matches in Division One of the JHL, beat Malacca High School 5-0, but in the processs they failed to score a single goal from the 10 penalty corners awarded in the match.
     However, UniKL coach Rodhanizam Radzi is not pressing the panic button yet.
    “After two wins, I believe the team is clicking well even though sometimes the players don’t use the opportunities like the many penalty corners won, as well as make mistakes in the semi-circle.
   “But I believe that it normal in any team earlyin the season,” said Rodhanizam, a former national player.
   On his take on SSTMI Thunderbolts, who are gunning for their fourth straight Milo Cup: “SSTMI have are the team to beat this season, again, no doubt about it.
    “However, we are prepared to give them a good fight, but before that, we need to focus on SSTMI Juniors first (Feb 7 match),” said Rodhanizam.
   Thunderbolts have nine points from three matches, and will play UniKL on Feb 8, which could be the day of reckoning for JHL Division One title aspirants.
    Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) Technical Committee yesterday threw out Old La Sallian Association of Klang (OLAK-PKT) protest over poor umpiring and the appointment of officials during their match against 1Mas Perak in Division Two B of the JHL on Saturday.
   The MHC Technical Committee decided on the stand because JHL tournament rules stipulate no team can question umpires, or the appointment of officials for matches.
   However Olak-PKT, who won the match 2-1, were refunded the RM500 deposit paid for the protest.

JLH standings after Jan 26

JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDING AFTER JAN 26 MATCHES

DIVISION ONE


                    P  W  D  L  F   A  Pts
TH’BOLTS    3   3   0  0  19 1    9
PJCC             4 3    0   1  9   9  9
UNIKL          2 2    0   0   7  0  6
ANDERSON  5 1    2   2   6 12  5
MHS             4 0    2    2   4 11  2
KLSS            3 0     1   2   3 7  1
SSTMI JNRS 3 0     1    2   3 11  1

DIVISION TWO A


                           P  W  D  L   F    A  Pts
NUR INSAFI        5  5   0   0   18   5    15
BAKAT                5  4   0  1   13   7    12
SYED HASSAN    3  2   1   0   10   2    7
MSSPP-USM        4  2   0  2    10  7    6
MATRI PERLIS    4  1  1   2    5    6    4
1MAS PENANG   4  0   1   3    3   9    1
STAR                  4  0   1   3   2    17  1
PHKS                  3  0   0   3   1    9    0

DIVISION TWO B


                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
OLAK-PKT               5  5    0   0    26    4   15
PAHANG JRS           5   3   2   0    10     5   11
PDG MIDIN              3   2   0   1    20     4    6
LARUT MATANG     4   1   2   1    11     9    5
1MAS PERAK           4   1   1   2    9      7    4
FELDA TEMERLOH 4   1    1   2    7     8    4
KLSS JRS                  5  1   0   4     7    18   3
PERMATANG JRS     4  0   0   4     3    38   0

DIVISION TWO C


                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
POLITEKNIK          4    4    0    0   23    3    12
BENTARA LUAR    4    3    0     1   17    6     9
BJSS                      4    3    0     1   14    6     9
SMKTB                  3    2    0     1    7     9     6
SMKDMT               4    0    1     3    3     14   1
PHDK                     4    0    1    3     4     20   1
BJSS JRS                3    0    0     3     3    13   0

Nur Insafi break free..

NUR Insafi romped away with their fifth straight win to  show their class in Division Two A of the Junior Hockey  League yesterday.
   Their latest victims were Marti Perlis, who fell 3-1 to Nur  Insafi in Sungai Petani.
    The Penang side now only have two more matches, and look  good to beat SMK Syed Hassan and Star Ipoh.
    Their closes rivals are Bakat MSSK/PHK, who have 12  points, but Nur Insafi have already beaten them 5-1.
    RESULTS: Division Two A: Nur Insafi 3 Matri Perlis 1, Star  1 1MAS Penang 1.
   Division Two B: KL Sports School Juniors 1 MSP Pahang  Juniors 3.

Olak unhappy with umpiring..

OLD La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak-PKT) had to bring out their best to edge 1MAS Perak 2-1 in Division Two B of the Junior Hockey League at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh yesterday.
     However Olak, who have 15 points from five straight wins, were unhappy with certain aspects of the match and have place in a written protest with a RM500 deposit.
    “Although we won the match, I am unhappy with how the umpires handled the match, and have submitted a written protest to highlight the shortcomings which almost cost us dearly,” said Olak team manager Joseph de Silva.
   The former double champions only two more matches against MSP Pahang Juniors on Feb 9 and SMK Padang Midin on Feb 15 to seal the title on a clean slate.
    Meanwhile, In Division One, Petaling Jaya Municipal Council bounced back from a humiliating 6-0 defeat at the hands of SSTMI Thunderbolt to beat SSTMI Juniors 4-1 at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
      PJCC went a goal down as Taufik Kamjai scored in the 14th minute. However Nazirul Mubin Zebidi drew PJCC level in the 26th minute.
    Abdul Halim Jalil put PJCC ahead in the 47th minute before goals from Helmi Jaafar (61st) and Faliq Razin Zariq Idris (65th) gave them full points.
    “It was a good performance considering we suffered a big defeat on Saturday,” said PJCC manager Zanal Abidin Ismail.
   “We are on course for a top four finish that will enable us to make the cut for the last eight. And the break for the next two weeks comes in handy to iron our our weakness and work on our strategies.”
    RESULTS -- Division One: SSTMI Juniors 1 Petaling Jaya CC 4; Anderson MBI 1 KL Sports School Juniors 3.
   Division Two A: Bakat MSSK 3 MSSP-USM 2.
   Division Two B: 1MAS Perak 1 Olak-PKT 2, Permatang Jnrs 1 MSSD Larut Matang 7.
   Division Two C: SMK Datuk Bentara Luar 4 SMK Datuk Taha 0, BJSS Jnrs 2 Politeknik KPM 5.
    TODAY: Division Two A: Nur Insafi v Matri Perlis (5pm, Sungai Petani), Star v 1MAS Penang (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
   Division Two B: KL Sports School Juniors v MSP Pahang Juniors (5pm, KL Hockey Stadium).

JHL pretenders whipped..

THE Junior Hockey League Division One title battle is again set to be between UniKL Young Guns and SSTMI Thunderbolts who both had thumping wins in Friday’s matches.
   Defending champions Thunderbolts whipped pretenders Petaling Jaya City Council 6-0 at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, while UniKL hammered Malacca High School 5-0 at the Malacca Stadium.
   However, both the teams were still not strong in penalty corners, as UniKL failed to score a single goal from the 10 the won, while Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman also rued their missed penalty corners.
   “We had many penalty corners, but failed to score and this is cause for worry. And in the match today (yesterday) we held a 2-0 lead in the first half, and only our fitness was what produced the second half four goals.
    “PJCC are a good side, but their fitness let them down. Now it looks like we will fight for the title with UniKL again this season,” said Wan Roslan.
     The Thunderbolts goals were scored by Najmi Farizal Jazlan (37th, 51st, 67th),  Amirol Aideed (35th), Sufi Ismat (37th) and Danial Ashraf (47th).
   “Although we scored five, we wasted ten penalty corners and that is really a big concern to us,” said UniKL coach Rodhanizam Radzi.
    For UniKL, the goal-scorers were Jamil Johari Ghazali (fifth), Ikwan Ishak (32nd), Hafif Elkan (37th, 66th), Haikal Zamry (51st).
    RESULTS: Division One: SSTMI Thunderbolts 6 Petaling Jaya CC 0; Malacca HS 0 UniKL Young Guns 5.
    Division 2A: 1MAS Penang 1 Nur Insafi 3.
    Division 2B: 1MAS Perak 5 KLSS Juniors 0; MSSD Larut Matang-Selama 1 Olak-PKT 5.
   Division 2C: SM Sains Johor 1 SMK Datuk Taha 1; BJSS Juniors 1 Politeknik KPM 4.
   SATURDAY -- Division One: SSTMI Juniors v Petaling Jaya CC (5pm, Taman Daya); Anderson MBI v KL Sports School Juniors (7pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
   Division Two A: Bakat MSSK v MSSP-USM (5pm, Pasir Mas).
   Division Two B: 1MAS Perak v Olak-PKT (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium), Permatang Jnrs v MSSD Larut Matang (5pm, Permatang).
   Division Two C: SMK Datuk Bentara Luar v SMK Datuk Taha (5pm, Batu Pahat), BJSS Jnrs v Politeknik KPM (5pm, Ministry of Education).

At best, 10th spot awaits Malaysia..

Following the conclusion to the inaugural edition of the men’s Hockey World League competition in New Delhi, India, the FIH can now reveal the pools for this summer’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands.

   Pool A will consist of the 2010 World Cup champions Australia (World Ranking: 1), England (4), Belgium (5), India (8), Spain (10) and Malaysia (13), while Olympic champions Germany (2) will face hosts, the Netherlands (3), New Zealand (6), Korea (7), Argentina (11) and South Africa (12) in Pool B.

UniKL's Malacca test..

UNIKL Young Guns will face an early test in Division One of the Junior Hockey League against Malacca High School at the Malacca Stadium today.
    Having only played one game so far, into the third week of the JHL, UniKL are yet to find their footing as they struggled to beat KL Sports School 2-0 two weeks ago.
    And UniKL are aware of the pitfalls that await them in Malacca has Malacca HS has the tendency to raise their game and stun any team that are overconfident.
  “We have had a two-week rest where I worked on some of the shortfalls that were spotted against KLSS. I also emphasised on physical conditioning as the next few weeks will see us playing back to back matches,” said UniKL coach Rodhanizam Radzi.
   And Rodhanizam, a former national player, knows that Malacca HS will be hard to crack: “ We cannot even afford a draw as that will leave us trailing leaders Thunderbolts and that will not be good at such an early stage."
     Malacca HS have played three matches, drawing against Anderson 1-1 in their opening match before playing to a 2-2 draw against KLSS last Saturday. However, Malacca HS  lost 1-3 to Petaling Jaya Municipal Council in their third match.
    Defending champions Thunderbolts are at the top of the Division One table, and will play PJCC in Taman Daya today.
    Thunderbolts smashed Anderson of Ipoh 7-0 last weekend.
   Meanwhile, World No 13 Malaysia are in Group A of the World Cup, on May 31-June 15 at the Hague, with 2010 World Cup champions Australia (World Ranking 1), England (4), Belgium (5), India (8) and Spain (10).
    In Group B, Olympic champions Germany (2) will face hosts, the Netherlands (3), New Zealand (6), South Korea (7), Argentina (11) and South Africa (12).
    “We need to finish among the top 10 to move up our rankings, and I believe it will be difficult, but not impossible,” said senior coach K. Dharmaraj.
    Dharmaraj has 35 players in training, and after the Azlan Shah Cup on March 13-23, he will either drop, or add more players to the pool.
    Australia, Pakistan, South Korea, Canada and France have confirmed for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
    Junior Hockey League -- Today: Division One: SSTMI Thunderbolts v Petaling Jaya CC (5pm, Taman Daya); Malacca HS v UniKL Young Guns (5pm, Malacca).
    Division 2A: 1MAS Penang v Nur Insafi (5pm, USM Stadium).
    Division 2B: 1MAS Perak v KLSS Juniors (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium); MSSD Larut Matang-Selama v Olak-PKT (5pm, Kuala Kangsar).
   Division 2C: SM Sains Johor v SMK Datuk Taha (5pm, Batu Pahat); BJSS Juniors v Politeknik KPM (5pm, Ministry of Education Stadium Pantai).

Paul Revington explains why he quit again...

FORMER Malaysian hockey chief coach Paul Revington could not cope with stress, which led to a temporarily worn-out and damaged mind, leaving him no choice but to resign in a haste.
    A visibly shaken Revinton read from a prepared statement, which he hoped would clear the air on why he quit the national team for the second time in seven months.
   “Although I had tried extremely hard to fight the onset of a stress-related illness since June 2013, I am still not functioning to my maximum capacity and it has been affecting the quality of my day-to-day work,” was his opening statement at a press conference yesterday.
    And it was in June 15 last year that he had thrown in the towel for the first time, when he could no longer tolerate outside interfearance, allegedly from Junior World Cup coach K.  Dharmaraj and 1Mas Project Director Lim Chiow Chuan.
    A threatening e-mail to Revington was the reason back then for the South African to resign, and from his statement, it looks like he never recovered from that episode even though he helped Malaysia qualify for the World Cup by finishing fifth in the World League Semi-finals in Johor Baru.
    The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have accepted Revington’s resignation and elevated juniors coach Dharmaraj to fill his shoes.
   And in a surprising move, MHC demoted Revington’s assistant Arul Selvaraj to the juniors ranks.
   Revingtion, who coached South Africa then Ireland and finally Malaysia also said: “A broken or damaged mind is no different to a broken bone -- it needs time to heal. I have been working at the top end of high performance hockey for over 12 years and have been pushing myself and the teams I have been coaching to improve quickly from day one in each of these years.
    “And I often faced with continual and at times expected environmental challenges. These 12 years have unfortunately led to a temporarily worn-out and damaged mind.”
    Arul, a former national player, and assistant to Revington in South Africa, Ireland and was a package deal when he came back to Malaysia -- did not see his new position as the juniors coach as a demotion.
    “I have a contract (until 2016) and a job to do, and if the MHC feel that I am best suited to be the juniors coach, I will train the juniors and I don’t see it as a demotion,” said Arul.
   And Dharmaraj, who coached the juniors to fourth place in the New Delhi World Cup said: “The situation was such that either I be retained as the juniors coach, and Arul promoted to the seniors chief coach position or the other way around.
   “This is because if the management had decided to make Arul my assistant at the senior level, it would be difficult as he was next in line.
    “So its best that both of us handle different levels.”
    When asked if he was willing to leave his Malaysia Hockey League coaching job with KL Hockey Club if his contract does not allow him to wear two hats: “If that’s what is stipulated in my contract, I will honour it.”

Paul Revington quits, again, Dharmaraj takes over...

 Dharmaraj celebrates with his charges in New Delhi after Malaysia beat South Korea 2-1 to qualify for the Junior World Cup semi-finals.

 Paul Revington 

SOUTH African Paul Revington has quit as national seniors  chief coach, again, and this time it is final as Malaysian  Hockey Confederation (MHC) have accepted his resignation.
    And K. Dharmaraj will fill his shoes as the national seniors  coach, while Revington’s assistant Arul Selvaraj will helm the  juniors side.
    This decision was taken at a hush-hush meeting held in  Kuala Lumpur yesterday, with the official announcement  only due to be made my MHC today.
   Revington sent in his quit letter last week, and on Thursday  was present to name the 35 trainees for the senior World Cup,  as well as the Azlan Shah Cup, the Champions Challenge, the  Commonwalth Games and the Asian Games -- all of which  will be held this year.
   Revington never gave any indication that he had sent in his  quit letter, but was his jovial self when asked about his wife’s  pregnancy after the press conference to name the trainees.
    “My wife is due in the first week of March, and the delivery  will be in Malaysia. After 13 years, we will finally have twins.  One boy and one girl,” said Revington, without a hint of the  drama to unfold.
   But before the press conference to name the trainees,  Dharmaraj had told this scribe that there is going to be a  major reshuffle next week, but decline to give further detailes  when pressed further.
    Dharmaraj did not return calls or sms, but revington did  reply to an sms: “I have resigned, that is correct, I can talk - but I don’t want to give any official quotes yet.”
   This is the second time the South African has sent in his  quit letter, the first being in on June 15, 2013.
   Then, the MHC coaching committee met at Bukit Jalil, with  its 16 members proposing that Junior World Cup coach K.  Dharmaraj and 1Mas Project Director Lim Chiow Chuan be  removed from their duties.
   Apparently, both Dharmaraj and Chiow Chuan had a hand  in Revington’s sudden decision even though the World  League was to be held in Johor Baru from June 29-July 7.
   But an intervention by MHC presdient Tengku Abdullah  Sultan Ahmad Shah saw revington retract his resignation,  and helm Malaysia to finish fifth in the World League and  quqlify for the World Cup at the Hague, Netherlands on may  31 to June 15.
    And when Revingtom named the training squad, he was  asked is he could work with Dharmaraj, who was promoted  to the senior side after Malaysia finished fourth in the Junior  World Cup.
    Revington answered: “I have had problems in the past with  the coach (Dharmaraj) but now that we will be preparing a  team for the World Cup and Asian Games, there are no  problems. He (Dharmaraj) will be given tasks to prepare the  team.”
    Apparently, Revingtion quit due to health reasons.

Thunderbolts Strike Anderson Seven Times..

JUNIOR Hockey League Divison One defending champions  SSTMI Thunderbolts whitewashed Anderson 7-0 to stamp  their mark at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh yesterday.
   The champions only blemish last season was a 1-0 defeat to  Anderson, and this season, they made sure with a thumping  win.
    “We went in looking for a win, as last season Anderson  were the only team which beat us. However, the margin is  very pleasing as we look forward to defending out title,” said  Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
    There was never a moment of lapse as Thunderbolts  hammered in the goals via Najib Abu Hassan (first minute),  Aminuddin Zain (9th, 68th), Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan (47th,  64th), Firdaus Omar (54th) and Zulhamizan Awang Abas  (62nd).
    “We only have one match this weekend, as we prepare for  what I feel would be a tougher match against Petaling Jaya  (Municipal Council) next Friday.
    “And if we seal the three points against PJCC, it would  make our title defence that much easier,” said Wan Roslan.
    Meanwhile, the saga of the missing sponsors advertising  boards at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium continued as none  were visible in the two league matches played at the venue  yesterday.
    The Malaysian Hockey Confederation Competitions Tech nical Committee had decided in their last meeting on Monday  to move all matches scheduled at the KLHA stadium to the  National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, but that decision too  was not enforced.
    RESULTS -- Division One: Anderson 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts  7, KLSS Jnrs x Malacca High School x.
    Division Two A: MSSp-USM 1 Nur Insafi 3, Bakat  MSSK/PHK 2 Matri 0, SMK Syed Hassan 1 1Mas Penang 0.
    Division Two B: KLHC Jnrs 1 Felda Temerloh 3, Padang  Midin 16 Permatang Jnrs 0, MSSD Larut Matang 1 MSP  Pahang Jnrs 1.
    Division Two C: SM Sains Johor 2 SMKTB 4, BJSS 5 SMK  Datuk Bentara Luar 1.
   TODAY -- Division One: Petaling Jaya CC v Malacca High  School (7pm, KLHA), Anderson MBI v SSTMI Jnrs (5pm,  Azlan Shah Stadium).
    Division Two A: PHKS v MSSP-USM (5pm, Alor Star), Bakat  MSSk v Star (5pm, Pasir Mas).
    Division Two B: OLAK-PKT v Felda Temerloh (5pm, KLHA),  1Mas Perak v MSP pahang Jnrs (5pm, Azlan Shah Sta dium).
    Division Two C: Politeknik KPM v SMKTB (5pm, Taman  Daya), Datuk Taha v BJSS (5pm, Seremban II), BJSS Jnrs v  SMK Datuk Bentara Luar (5pm, KPM Pantai).

Anderson test for Thunderbolts

JUNIOR Hockey League Division One defending champions Thunderbolts will face an early test against Anderson of Ipoh at the Azlan Shah Stadium Saturday.
    For Anderson were the only team that beat the champions, 1-0, last season and that defeat is still fresh on the mind of Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
   In the first week of the JHL, Thunderbolts hammered Thunderbolts Juniors 6-0, while Anderson were held to a 1-1 draw by Malacca High School before going down 1-2 to Petaling Jaya Municipal Council,
     “Anderson always lift their game against us and I expect it to be the same this time around as well,” said Wan Roslan.
     “It will not be an easy match as I believe Anderson have settled down after playing two matches.
   “We have to play a tight marking game as this JHL is a short league and draw is akin to a defeat and we cant afford to drop even a single point to defend our title,” said Wan Roslan.
   In another Division One match at the Pantai Hockey Stadium, Malacca High School are expected to collect full points against KLSS Juniors.
    While in Division Two, Nur Insafi are expected to consolidate their position in Group A when they play MSSPP at the USM Stadium.
    SATURDAY -- Division One: Anderson v SSTMI Thunderbolts (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), KLSS Jnrs v Malacca High School (KLHA, 7pm).
    Division Two A: MSSp-USM v Nur Insafi (5pm, USM), Bakat MSSK/PHK v Matri (5pm, Pasir Mas), SMK Syed Hassan v 1Mas Penang (5pm, Perlis).
    Division Two B: KLHC Jnrs v Felda Temerloh (5pm, KLHA), Padang Midin v Permatang Jnrs (5pm, Kuala Terengganu), MSSD Larut Matang v MSP Pahang Jnrs (5pm, Kuala Kangsar).
    Division Two C: SM Sains Johor v SMKTB (5pm, Batu Pahat), BJSS v SMK Datuk Bentara Luar (5pm, KPM Pantai).
    SUNDAY -- Division One: Petaling Jaya CC v Malacca High School (7pm, KLHA), Anderson MBI v SSTMI Jnrs (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
    Division Two A: PHKS v MSSP-USM (5pm, Alor Star), Bakat MSSk v Star (5pm, Pasir Mas).
    Division Two B: OLAK-PKT v Felda Temerloh (5pm, KLHA), 1Mas Perak v MSP pahang Jnrs (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
    Division Two C: Politeknik KPM v SMKTB (5pm, Taman Daya), Datuk Taha v BJSS (5pm, Seremban II), BJSS Jnrs v SMK Datuk Bentara Luar (5pm, KPM Pantai).

35 trainees for 2014

NOTE: Back to work today (Jan 16) for the first time since being knocked out; and being wheeled in and out of ICU's in three hospitals after catching a deadly bug in New Delhi during the Junior World Cup.
   Would like to thank Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah; fellow journalists Satwant Singh Dhaliwal, S. Ramaguru, Bazli Azmi and Sandeep Nakai (New Delhi); All Malaysian coaches, players and support staff; Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema; Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz; and everybody who called/smsed well wishes.
    Thanks guys for being there for me...


CHIEF coach Paul Revington named his 35 trainees for the  five tournaments this year, with seven new inclusions from  the junior ranks.
   He also dropped nine players from last year’s training  squad.
    And the end target is the Asian Games, on Sept 19-Oct 4 in  South Korea, which offers a ticke to the Olympics.
    “I have name 35 trainees as we have many tournaments, as  well as friendly matches arranged for this year, and they will  be utilised in rotation to get the best tresults,” said Reving ton.
    The seven newcomers to the senior side played a pivotal  role in helping Malaysia finish fourth in the Junior World Cup  in New Delhi.
    Kavin Kartik, Hazrul Faiz, Azri Hassan, Hafizuddin Oth man, Rashid Baharom, Shahril Saabah and Shazril Irwin --  might get a chance to play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on  March 13-23 in Ipoh.
    “Now that the seven are with the senior training squad,  they will get an equal chance to fight for a spot in the Azlan  Shah Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Champions Chal lenge, World Cup and the Asian Games,” said Revington.
     And the target for the World Cup, at the Hague on May 31- June 15 is to finish among the top 10.
    “We need to improve our ranking (13th at present) and so  the team must strive to finish among the top-10 in the  Netherlands World Cup,” said Malaysian Hockey Confed eration vice president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
    And there was bad news for nine trainees from last year, as  they were left out after failing to improve.
    The nine are Amir Farid, Amirullah Zainol, Dedy Ariyadi,  Jivan Mohan, Khairulnizam Ibrahim, Megat Azrifiq, Amin  rahim, Iderus Ali and Mohamed Noor Faeez Ibrahim.
    The squad will return to training on Jan 20, and start the  year with four matches against a visiting China side on Feb  21-25. And the other friendlies arranged are against Canada  (March 6-9 in Malacca), Ireland series (April 26-May 4 at  KLHA Stadium) and Dutch series (May 24-26 at the Hague).
    2014 TRAINING squad: Ahmad Kazamirul, Azlan Misron,  Azreen Rizal, Baljit Singh, Engku Malek, Faiz Helmi, Faizal  Saari, Harvinder Singh, Ismail Abu, Izwan Firdaus, Kavin  Kartik, S. Kumar, Meor Azuan, Izad Hakimi, Hazrul Faiz,  Shukri Mutalib, Fitri Saari, Madzli Ikmar, Shahrun Nabil,  Syamim Yusof, Azammi Adabi, Firhan Ashaari, Ramadan  Rosli, Azri Hassan, Hafizuddin Othman, Marhan Jalil, Rashid  Baharom, Razie Rahim, Shahril Saabah, Fiqri Mohamed  Noor, Norhizzar Sumantri, Rosalan Jamaluddin, S. Sel varaju, Shazril Irwin, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin.