Rajan sets Pahang semis target...

FORMER national juniors hockey coach K. Rajan will be coaching the Pahang Malaysia Games team in Perlis, and he has set a semi-finals target for his boys.
   The Games will be held from May 24-June 4, with 13 teams in the boys as well as 13 teams in the girls hockey tournament.
   Pahang are in Group A with defending champions Terengganu, Johor, Perlis, Perak and Sabah.
    In Group B are 2012 runners-up Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Sarawak and Kelantan.
   The top two teams from each group to play in the semi-finals.
    The women’s event will also have 13 teams with champions Terengganu in Group A with Johor, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan, Pahang and Sabah.
    The teams in Group B are KL, Selangor, Perlis, Perak, Penang, Malacca and Kedah.
   “The target is to qualify for the semi-finals, and in the long run, we plan to become champions by 2016 as 15 from the current 18 are still eligible to play in two years time,” said Rajan.
    Selangor, who have never won the Malaysia Games gold, are keen to finally lay their hands on it.
   Selangor ended their 21-year wait for the National Under-21 title when they beat Perak in last year’s final. The regulation time score was 3-3 but Selangor won the penalty shoot-out 5-4 -- despite not having an artificial pitch to train on.
   “We are confident of doing well in the Malaysia Games as we have been preparing the team since 2012,” said Selangor HA secretary P. Kuganeson.