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Champions: Malacca Boys with UPM Vice Chancellor Prof Dato Dr. Mohammad Fauzi Haji RamlanMALACCA Boys were crowned champions in the Second Edition of the UPM Hockey 5's at the Ministry of Education Stadium in Kuala Lumpur when they beat Star Klang A 3-1 in the final.
In the girls category, the title went to Kuala Lumpur Sports School A who beat Convent Bukit Nenas HT 4-1.
A total of 24 Under-16 teams competed in the day long tournament organised by the UPM Sports Academy and supported by Milo, Sports Unite and Selangor Hockey Association.
Special Awards
Boys'
Best Goalkeeper : Farhan Syarin Hassan ( Malacca Boys)
Top Scorer: Mohd Izham ( Akademi Hoki Pahang)
Best Player: Muhd Nor Asyraf Ishak ( Malacca Boys)
Girls'
Best Goalkeeper : Siti Zalina ( KLSS A)
Top Scorer Asidah Nawar ( KLSS A)
Best Player : Nadia Aqilah ( KLSS A)
Boys'
Champions : Malacca Boys
Runners Up: Star Klang A
Third : Akademi Sukan Pahang
Fourth : Pahang Sports School
Girls'
Champion: KL Sports School A
Runner Up: Convent Bukit Nenas HT
Third: KL Sports School C
Fourth: Star Klang Girls
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will be out to defend their TNB Cup, while Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) wants to lay their hands on a new trophy in what is expected to be an explosive Malaysia Hockey League final today.
THT has already robbed KLHC of their League title, but coach K. Dharmaraj is not willing to lose the second trophy.
"It will not be easy for us to defend the TNB Cup against a team teeming with speedy forwards, but we won't make it easy for them too as we aim to defend out title at all cost," said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
THT coach Sarjit Singh, in his usual laid-back manner, said his team are ready to be crowned double champions.
"When we selected the local players and went hunting for Koreans, we had the double in mind and after winning the League, I believe my players are capable of winning the TNB Cup as well," said Sarjit.
KLHC had to sweat buckets in the semi-finals as Tenaga held them to 1-1 and 2-2 draws, before bowing out 3-1 on penalties.
THT were beaten 3-2 by Maybank, before romping home 8-1 with style.
There will also be another contest on the field as national No 1 penalty corner flicker Razie Rahim of KLHC tries to score as well as stop current top top scorer Faizal Saari tried to increase his 14 goal tally.
Razie, with 12 goals, also has the daunting task of trying to stop THT's Korean terror Jang Jong-Hyun from increasing his nine-goal tally during penalty corners.
But the lanky lad has played in seven finals for KLHC, and is not worried with the heavy task on his shoulders.
"My team-mates will depend on me to score off penalty corners as well as defend penalty corners but it does not worry me much, as I am a team player and personal glory like top-scorer do not matter to me.
"All that matters is that I combine well with my mates to delieve the TNB Cup to our club," said Razie.
Jang, South Korea's No 1 penalty corner flicker, has not been consistent but can be deadly: "We have been playing well this season, and I believe we have enough good players to give KLHC a very good fight in the final."
For the record, KLHC beat THT 2-1 in Round One, but THT thrashed Dharmaraj's side 5-1 in Round Two.
TODAY: TNB CUP Final: KLHC v TNT (5pm, Pitch II); Third-Fourth: Maybank v Tenaga (3pm, Pitch II).
LEAGUE champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) blasted Maybank into orbit in the second leg of the TNB CUP semi-finals to set up a final date with Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) on Sunday.
KLHC, who drew 1-1 with Tenaga in the first leg, were held to a 2-2 draw by the Utility Giants yesterday. The match went into penalties and KLHC won 3-1.
RESULTS -- Semi-finals Second Leg:
Terengganu Hockey Team 8 Maybank 1.
(THT win on 10-4 aggregate)
Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 2 Tenaga 2.
(KLHC and Tenaga tied on 3-3 aggregate; KLHC win 3-1 on penalties).
ALL-LOCAL outfit Tenaga Nasional are enjoying their rare moment under the sun, as they enter the second leg semi-finals of the TNB Cup on level terms with raging favourites Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC).
And Maybank Tigers finally bared their fangs when they beat League champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 and are looking dangerous going into the return leg today.
Maybank were a docile side in the League as they only had five draws and five defeats to show, but the knock-out has brought out the best in their stripes.
Maybank, trailing UniKL 3-1 in the knock-out stage, upset the formbook and won 4-1 for a 5-4 aggregate to book their semis ticket. And the upset of the season was when they beat THT at their own turf in Kuala Terengganu, a venue where they were hammered 6-1 by coach Sarjit Singh's million-Ringgit outfit.
However, the story of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) is not on the semi-finalists with all four teams still alive going into the second leg, but Tenaga's blooding of youth.
Tenaga Nasional, who are the only team fielding an all-local side, have 15 under-24 players who played with confidence to help their team hold four-time consecutive double champions KLHC to a 1-1 draw.
Overall, the Utility Giants have the largest number of youth, as they only relied on five seasoned players to hold the fort, and did not hire foreign hands.
"We will be playing KLHC for the fourth time on Friday, and it looks like my young brigade have finally found their footing. They not only helped keep alive the club's aspirations of playing in the final, but their maturity will also help the country in the long run.
"We had this in mind when we declined the management's suggestion to hire foreign players before the league started. As the argument was that if we give away slots in the club to foreign imports, we will not achieve our ambition of nurturing youth for the country," said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini, a former national skipper.
In their three encounters against KLHC, Tenaga lost the Charity Shield 5-3, second round 3-1 and drew the semis 1-1.
"We have managed to close them gap on KLHC after three matches, and hopefully, walk away with a win tomorrow (today)," said Nur Saiful Zaini.
But there is gloom in the club and also bad news for the national team's preparations for the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25 as prolific striker Shahril Saabah picked up a shoulder injury and will be out for at least two weeks.
As for KLHC, coach K. Dharmaraj rued the 10-day rest: "I think the 10 day rest we had while waiting for our semi-finals opponents cooled down my team, while Tenaga playe two extra games to keep their momentum intact. The Tenaga youth have also shown tremendous progress and it will not be easy in the return leg."
TODAY -- Semi-finals Return Leg: Maybank (3) v Terengganu HT (2) (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Kuala Lumpur HC (1) v Tenaga (1) (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).
Note: First leg scores in parenthesis.
MAYBANK turned giantkillers when they beat Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) League champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 in the first leg of the TNB Cup semi-finals in Kuala Terengganu yesterday.
In the second semi-finals Tenaga and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club played to a 1-1 draw, so both the return leg semi-finals are expected to be explosive affairs. Razie Rahim (12th) scored for KLHC, while Izad Hakimi (51st) replied for Tenaga.
The Tigers were trailing by a goal when THT's Fitri Saari scored a field goal in the 31st minute, but Jiwa Mohan (36th) and Shakeel Abassi (45th) gave Maybank the lifeline they needed.
Even though Baljit Singh Sarjab leveled the score to 2-2 for THT in the 50th minute, Pakistan import Shakeel nailed the win with a 58th minute field goal.
It was the first defeat for THT at their own backyard. The only other team to beat THT was KLHC 2-1 in the First Round of the MHL at Bukit Jalil. And for the record, it was only the second win for Maybank this season.
The second leg will be played in Bukit Jalil on Friday: "I can say that we were qite lucky to beat THT at their own turf as we lost 6-1 in Terengganu and 4-3 in Kuala Lumur to them in the League. The second leg is still there to play and the celebrations will be on hold until we finish the other four quarters," said Maybank coach Wallace Tan.
THT coach Sarjit Singh said Maybank goalkeeper German Moritz Knobloch played exceptionally well, but he is confident his charges will bounce back in the return leg.
"Maybank's penalty corner run-out was super clean while their German goalkeeper was also at his best to stop my strikers. But we have the return leg to make amends, and I am confident we will win and advance to the final," said Sarjit.
RESULTS: Semi-finals First Leg: Terengganu HT 2 Maybank 3; Tenaga 1 Kuala Lumpur HC 1.
FRIDAY -- Semi-finals Return Leg: Maybank v Terengganu HT (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Kuala Lumpur HC v Tenaga (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).
MAYBANK and Tenaga need to buck-up fast, but unfortunately, time is not on their side as they prepare to face Malaysia Hockey League giants in the TNB Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
Maybank travel to Kuala Terengganu to play League champions Terengganu HT (THT), while Tenaga play Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) at Bukit Jalil.
However, both the return legs will be played at Bukit Jalil on Friday.
Maybank morphed just in time to reverse their 1-3 defeat to UniKL and romped into the semi-finals on a 5-4 aggregate, and THT coach Sarjit Singh knows he can't take the Tigers for granted.
For the record, THT beat Maybank 4-3 and then 6-1 in the two-round League.
"Maybank showed their classy side when they overcame a two-goal deficit to play in the semi-final. UniKL is not an easy team, but Maybank made them look bad with some powerful team-work.
"I think the Tigers have arrived at the right time, and we will not take them for granted even though we have a good record against them. Records don't matter in any knock-out situation," said Sarjit.
The bad news for Maybank coach Wallace Tan is that all THT players are free from injury and suspension.
"Credit to my players for rising to the occasion and earning a semi-finals berth. But THT are in a different league all together, and playing them in Kuala Terengganu will not be easy, as we were hit 6-1 there in Round Two.
"But having said that, we are just two matches away from playing in the final, and have nothing to lose but much to gain," said Wallace.
As for Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini: "We did just enough to reach the semi-finals. Despite winning both legs against Sapura, I’m not satisfied with my team’s performance. We gave away a couple of soft goals and we also failed to convert many chances in both the matches. We have to improve both the chinks to stay alive in the semi-finals.”
KLHC hold the upper-hand as they beat Tenaga 5-3 in the Charity Shield, and 3-1 in Round Two.
FIXTURES -- Dec 10: Semi-finals First Leg: Terengganu HT v Maybank (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm); Tenaga v Kuala Lumpur HC (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm).
Dec 12 -- Return Leg: Maybank v Terengganu HT (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Kuala Lumpur HC v Tenaga (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).
MAYBANK Tigers turned the tables on UniKL when they won the second leg TNB Cup knock out 4-1 to advance into the semi-finals of the Malaysia Hockey League on a 5-4 aggregate.
It was an amazing comeback, as Maybank lost the first leg 3-1, and will now meet League champions Terengganu Hockey Team in the semis.
In the other knock-out, Tenaga Nasional beat Sapura 4-2 to advance on an 8-5 aggregate and will square off against Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club in the other semis.
"This is our first win of the season (as Maybank drew 5 and lost 5 in the League) and it came at a crucial time as my players went all out to claim a spot in the semifinals. They knew it was their last chance to redeem their season, and after a 1-3 defeat in the first leg, they decided to give their all and reverse the club's fortunes.
"Now we have a wek's rest before we play against League champions THT, and again, anything can happen as my players received a big boost today (yesterday)," said Maybanl coach Wallace Tan.
The Maybank goals were scored by Hafifihafiz Hanafi (seventh, 45th) and Mohamed Zulhairi (11th, 42nd).
Kevin Lim (13th) scored for UniKL.
As for Tenaga, they got their goals off Azril Misron (ninth), Najib Abu HAssan (25th), Norhizzat Sumantri (36th) and Izzad Hakimi (57th).
The Sapura goals were scored by Khasif Ali (29th) and Shahzad Aamir (37th).
RESULTS: Second Leg: Sapura 2 Tenaga 4.
(Tenaga win 8-5 on aggregate)
Maybank 4 UniKL 1.
(Maybank win 5-4 on aggregate).
THE Malaysia Hockey League TNB Cup knock-out stage is still an open affair, as slim leads were taken in the first leg on Friday.
Today, Sapura will attempt to turn the tables on Tenaga after losing 4-3, while Maybank will have to play the match of their season to upset UniKL who hold a 3-1 score.
The top-two teams Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) rest at the sidelines as their semi-final opponents battle it out today as winners of the UniKL-Maybank match will meet THT, while KLHC await the winners of the Sapura-TNB knock-out.
UniKL will be attempting to rewrite their club history by making the MHL semi-finals since making their debut in 2009.
"We will definitely be preparing for another win tomorrow (today) and we are willing to play ugly if necessary. Ugly in the sense that we will be playing hard and going for every ball, not dirty,” said UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj.
“I anticipate Maybank to search for an early goal so we will devise a plan to address that and to come out from the pressure Maybank is expected to apply early in the match. UniKL thrive on teamwork so I have to make sure that everyone are on the same page tactically and mentally.”
Meanwhile, TNB are faced with a trickier task as they hold a one-goal lead:
“The second-leg is going to be very tough and we need to do our best. Although we did not perform well defensively in the first-leg, I’m happy that we were able to score four goals. We have struggled in that aspect throughout the season and that should be the turning point for us to chase for a ticket to play in the semi-finals,” said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini.
TODAY: Sapura (3) v Tenaga (4) (6pm, Pitch II); Maybank (1) v UniKL (3) (8pm, Pitch II ).
Note: First Leg scores in parenthesis.
UNIKL took a step closer to the semi-finals when they beat Maybank 3-1
in the knock-out stage of the TNB Cup at the national stadium in Bukit
Jalil yesterday.
In the other match, Tenaga Nasional edged Sapura 4-3 to keep their fire burning.
However, UniKL did not have it easy as Hafifi Hafiz gave Maybank the
lead in the 24th minute off a field goal, but the Tigers campaign
fizzled out after that.
Patrick Schultz gave UniKL a life-line with
a field goal in the 32 minute, and Sufi Ismat (46th) and Phillipp Stahr
(52nd) made sure full points head towards the university side before
they clash again in the return leg on Sunday.
UniKL coach Arul
Selvaraj was pleased as punch: "It not over yet, but we did what was
needed to take the three points into the return leg. After a low-key
Round One in the League, we came back strongly in Round Two, and now
game no 11 we have shown that we have improved with every game."
And Arul is already planning for the return leg: "We will need to keep
our feet firmly on the ground, as there is the second leg to play
Sunday. But I am confident my players will not disappoint."
The
top-two teams Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club
(KLHC) rest at the sidelines as their semi-final opponents battle it out
this weekend as winners of the UniKL-Maybank match will meet THT, while
KLHC awaits the winners of the Sapura-TNB knock-out.
The Tenaga
goals were scored by Shahril Saabah (17th), Amin Rahim (30th, 41st),
Ramadan Rosli (54th); while the Sapura goals were scored by Muhammad
Zubair(fourth), Khasif Ali (27th) and Izwan Firdaus (53rd).
RESULTS: Today: UniKL 3 Maybank 1; Tenaga 4 Sapura 3.
Sunday: Sapura v Tenaga (6pm, Pitch II); Maybank v UniKL (8pm, Pitch II ) .
HIGH-FLYING UniKL will tread with caution when they face wounded Maybank Tigers in the knock-out stage of the TNB Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
The other Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division knock out will be between Tenaga Nasional and Sapura.
The top-two teams Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) rest at the sidelines as their semi-final opponents battle it out this weekend as winners of the UniKL-Maybank match will meet THT, while KLHC awaits the winners of the Sapura-TNB knock-out.
Even though entering the crucial stage at the back of a 5-1 win over KLHC, UniKL have their feet rooted on the ground: "We're very happy with the high note 5-1 win over KLHC, but we know the knock-out is a different game all together. "Maybank is well known for doing well in the knock-out stages in previous seasons, and being winless (five draws) this season, the Tigers will definitely be out to make an impact as well,” say UniKL Hockey president Amir Azhar Ibrahim.
For the record, UniKL and Maybank played to 1-1 and 0-0 draws in the League.
UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj said they want to play in the semi-finals: We have continued to improve as a team and are finally getting the results we deserve. That result against KLHC will serve as a strong motivation for us,” he said.
Arul, who is a former Maybank player, said he is well aware of what they are capable of.
“They have talented players such like Shakeel Abassi (Pakistan) and Jiwa Mohan. I also know that Maybank are extremely thorough when it comes to preparing for big games like this. But instead of focusing on our opponents, I would much rather focus on my team and ensure that we give a good performance. That is how I have approached all of our previous games”, said Arul.
In the other knock-out, Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini said finishing third in the League was a disappointment they want to erase in the TNB Cup.
“Our goal was to at least finish in second place. But unfortunately that did not happen and now we must do our best to book a place in the final of the TNB Cup. It won’t be easy as every team will be battling hard to progress to the next round,” said Nor Saiful.
For the record, Tenaga hold a 1-0 and 2-0 win record over Sapura.
FIXTURES: Today: UniKL v Maybank (6pm, Pitch II ); Tenaga v Sapura (8pm, Pitch II).
Sunday: Maybank v UniKL (8pm, Pitch II ); Sapura v Tenaga (6pm, Pitch II).
High 5s (from left) Selangor HA Secretary General P. Kuganeson, Nestle Products sports marketing manager Ng Ping Loong, MHC vice-president S. Shamala, Selangor HA president Datuk Sri Subahan Kamal.
THE introduction of Hockey 5s, which made its debut at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, could just be the answer to nurturing a bigger pool of players in the country.
With this in mind, the Unity Hockey 5s will be held for the second year running at the Ministry of Education pitch in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 13.
There will be a total of 10 Under-16 teams in both the boys' and girls' categories with seven players in each team.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) senior vice-president S. Shamala believes said the five-a side tournament could complement the 11-a-side games in terms of supplying talent to junior and senior teams.
And the Selangor Hockey Association (SHA) has already given its assurance they would organise at least one tournament next year while the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have discussed the format of play for starters.
"Hockey 5s has the potential to emulate what futsal has done for football... more people are playing the sport," said Shamala after launching Unity Hockey 5s one-day competition at Wisma OCM.
"The format is more exciting because of it's fast nature. Furthermore, it's easier to put up a team for the 5s as it requires less players.
"We (MHC) have discussed the format and I believe its prominence would be reflected in the 2015 calendar as we need to do more research and development and have more seminars, especially for coaching and umpiring," she said.
The 5s was first introduced at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, and is being promoted by University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Selangor HA, Milo and Sports Unite.
Teams will play two six-minute halves with a one minute break at halftime. Scoring is allowed from anywhere in the pitch and one-on-one challenge replaces the penalty corners.
IRISHMEN Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley are the latest attraction to confirm for the Maybank Malaysian Open on Feb 5-8 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
They will join a stellar cast of 156 players from the Asian Tour and European Tour for a shot at the prestigious title.
One of the finest shot-makers in the game, McDowell is a name that is recognised worldwide when he upstaged Tiger Woods in the 2010 Chevron World Challenge.
He also successfully defended his title at the Alstom Open de France in June, where he overcame Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, a former two-time Malaysian Open winner, and American Kevin Stadler by a single stroke, which saw him reach 10 European Tour wins.
Having played an integral part in three European Ryder Cup-winning teams, McDowell knows a thing or two about converting putts when it matters.
A Ryder Cup legend, McGinley needs little introduction to local golf fans after his iconic leadership of Team Europe in Scotland.
With nine worldwide victories to his name, including four on the European Tour, McGinley will bring his personal charisma and tireless work ethics to the fore at KLGCC.
“Next year, as we celebrate the 10th year as title sponsor of the Malaysian Open, we continue with the tradition of bringing a selection of golfing personalities to Malaysia. McDowell and McGinley, fresh from recent victories and with charisma attracting a huge worldwide following as they display consistently high standards of sportsmanship, integrity and grit; offering fans exciting and competitive golf every time,” said Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin Megat Nor, Chairman of Maybank
“We are proud of our role in the Maybank Malaysian Open, showcasing a world class tournament steeped in Malaysian history. Its schedule, in the early part of the professional season, has produced surprising winners, young and not so young, and I expect this next version to yield similar excitement and outcomes.”
The Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) reinforced the critical role that the tournament has played in expanding the reach of the game at a professional level in the country as well.
“The Maybank Malaysian Open represents a consistent and considerable investment towards the development of the Malaysian golfing scene with the largest allocation of playing spots to top local professionals and amateurs who want to participate in the tournament," said MGA president Admiral (R) Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor.
THE Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division knock-out draw was done Thursday with seeded teams Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) getting a 10-day break to recuperate.
And while the leaders unwind and recover from the bruising league, four other teams will be involved in a home-and away to decide the semi-finalists on Dec 5 and 7.
Maybank and UniKL drew lots to play each other, while Sapura will meet Tenaga Nasional in the knock-out to decide the other two semi-finalists. The final will be held on Dec 14.
The winners in the Maybank-UniKL will face THT, while winners of the Sapura-Tenaga match will face KLHC in the semi-finals.
UniKL were as pleased as punch to face winless Maybank, who only had five draws to show from 10 matches: "We are fortunate to face Maybank as we believe that we have a fighting chance of beating them in the two leg knock-out," said UniKL manager Mohamed Faiz Isa.
Both the teams met twice in the league and on both occasions the match ended in a draw 1-1 and 0-0.
Faiz said that they would not have the services of two key players forward Jonas Weinhardt and midfielder Nor Azrul for the knockout stage.
“Jonas is down with ankle injury while Azrul is recovering from a hamstring injury,” said Faiz.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) competition committee chairman M. Gobinathan said they received complaints from teams regarding of umpiring.
“I assured the teams that only quality umpires will officiate for the knockout stage matches,” said Gobinathan.
FIXTURES: Dec 5: UniKL v Maybank (6pm, Pitch II ); Tenaga v Sapura (8pm, Pitch II).
Dec 7: Maybank v UniKL (8pm, Pitch II ); Sapura v Tenaga (6pm, Pitch II).
TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) spent millions to buy the best local talent, as well as five South Koreans, to land their first Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division League title after two seasons.
And Kuala Lumpur HC, the other rich kid on the block, were denied their ninth League title, as well as their four-cosecutive double streak was finally broken.
There are only six teams in the Premier Division, but one could safely say that at least a total of eight million could have been spent this season.
THT coach Sarjit Singh said even though they finished fifth in their debut season, the plan was to win a double this year.
"We have achieved one goal, and now we are looking to nail the double as well. THT has spent much to form this side, and we need to deliver the silverware now.
"My contract is for two years with THT, with an option to renew. And I can safely say that we will be much better next season as we have many plans, including developing local juniors for the long run," said Sarjit.
The Giant-Killers of this season title went to UniKL when they hammered KLHC 5-1 on Sunday.
UniKL deserve the accolades, as they almost lost their best penalty corner flicker Nor Aqmal who suffered a deep gash near his left eye which needed 10 stitchers and spend the night at the hospital.
UniKL had lost 4-0 to KLHC in Round One, so the reverse was not expected from them.
However, KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj doused some of their fire when he said that he had given more time to his reserves to prepare for the knock-out.
"Once we lost to THT (5-1) in Kuala Terengganu and had to chase nine goals, I decided that it would be useless to make a dash for goals against UniKL so in went the reserve goalkeeper (Hakim Adnan) for his first match of the season.
"I also gave more time to all my bench warmers as for me. For me its simple, if I can't win the title, it is useless to push the players to the limit as we will finish second anyway.
"This way, the team avoided unnecessary cards and injuries, and I tested some fringe players and one can see from the result how they played," said Dharmaraj.
THT and KLHC are now the seeded teams, and a draw will be held today to pair the other four teams. The top-two teams receive a bye and about 10 days of rest, while the other four teams play to decide who moves into the semi-finals.
FINAL STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
TERENGGANU 10 9 0 1 51 18 27
KLHC 10 8 0 2 31 18 24
TENAGA 10 4 1 5 18 20 13
UNIKL 10 2 3 5 14 26 9
SAPURA 10 1 3 6 17 35 6
MAYBANK 10 0 5 5 16 30 5
TERENGGANU Hockey Team (THT) lifted the Malaysia
Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division League title in
style when they hammered Sapura 9-2 in Kuala
Terengganu yesterday.
The THT goals were scored by Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin
(eighth), Fitri Saari (ninth), Faizal Saari (14th),
Firhan Ashaari (15th, 49th), Ismail Abu (15th), Seo
Jong Ho (16th), Sobirin Lias (30th), Firhan Ashaari
(49th), and Seo Jong Ho (52nd).
The Sapura goals were scored by Faridzul Afiq
(third), Khasif Ali (38th).
"Even though we are only two years old in the MHL, a
solid team display has landed us our first League
title and I am very proud of my players.
"Now, we will go for the Overall title as well in
the knock-out stage," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
Both THT and KLHC are the seeded teams, while the
other four teams will play among each other and the
two winners will enter the semi-finals as well.
Razie Rahim of KLHC and Faizal Saari of THT ended
joint-top scorers in the League with 11 goals each.
P W D L F A Pts
TERENGGANU 10 9 0 1 51 18 27
KLHC 10 8 0 2 31 18 24
TENAGA 10 4 1 5 18 20 13
UNIKL 10 2 3 5 14 26 9
SAPURA 10 1 3 6 17 35 6
MAYBANK 10 0 5 5 16 30 5
RESULTS: Terengganu 9 Sapura 2; UniKL 5 KLHC 1; Tenaga
3 Maybank 3.
