SAPURA Hockey Club are poised to lift the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division League title, provided they do not fumble against Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) at the Batu Buruk Stadium Friday.
After THT, Sapura have Maybank to beat on Sunday to realise their dream of winning the League title -- which they last won in 2005.
"It has been too long since we laid our hands on a title, and the Alagendra Cup on Tuesday was a welcome relief.
"We last won the Overall title in 2006, and the League in 2005 and are in a good position to realise our dream.
"From the two opponents, I believe THT will be the hardest to beat as we meet them in their own den in Batu Buruk (Kuala Terengganu)," said Sapura coach Yahya Atan.
Sapura beat Tenaga Nasional 2-1 in the Alagendra Cup final, which was a cracker until the final whistle.
"It was a good final, as all my players gave their very best and I believe they will do the same in the remaining two League matches as well," said Yahya.
Yahya's men lead Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) by a point, while double champions THT are two points adrift of the leaders.
"This is the most crucial weekend for all teams as the margin is very close and while we will aim to collect full points against Sapura and then Tenaga on Sunday, we will also be keeping our fingers crossed that the two teams above us drop points," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
FRIDAY -- Premier Division: Maybank v UniKL (Malacca, 6pm), Tenaga v Kuala Lumpur HC (KLHA, 6pm), Terengganu HT v Sapura HC (Batu Buruk, 5.30pm).
SUNDAY: Terengganu HT v Tenaga Nasional (Batu Buruk, 5.30pm), Kuala Lumpur HC v UniKL (KLHA, 8pm), Sapura HC v Maybank (Tun Razak, 6pm).
Division One: Quarter-finals First Round: TNB Thunderbolts v Nur Insafi (KLHA, 8pm), SSTMI v ATM Airod (SSTMI, 6pm), UiTM-KPT v Ipoh City Council (Tun Razak, 6pm), Politeknik v BJSS (Taman daya, 5pm).
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pts
SAPURA 8 6 0 2 14 11 18
KLHC 8 5 2 1 25 11 17
THT 8 5 1 2 22 14 16
UNIKL 8 2 1 5 8 12 7
MAYBANK 8 2 1 5 16 30 7
TENAGA 8 0 3 5 14 21 3
