UNDER 16- Pahang Girls Come lately

By Jugjet Singh

March 22

KUALA LUMPUR: Pahang girls had to bring out their best to beat Terengganu 2-1 in the medal round of the National Under-16 tournament at the National hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil Thursday.

  In the other group, a second minute strike by Nur Ainaa Rahim was enough for Kuala Lumpur to beat Johor 1-0.
   Terengganu took the lead off Nur Nazurah Razali in the second minute, but Pahang fought back and equalised in the 51st minute off Zati Alyani Zubir and the winner was scored 20 seconds from end by Nur Shazwani Zakaria.
  Receiving a pass from J. Thibatharshini, Nur Shazwani cooly slotted in the ball to give her team-mates hope of playing in the final.
  Pahang play Malacca today, where a win will see them in their first Under-16 final.
  Pahang coach Sabri Mohamad said it was a jittery start, and luckly his girls scored a last minute goal.
  "We have never played in the medal rounds of the National Under-16 so I believe my girls were jittery today," said Sabri.
  "But after the second half, there was better effort from them and we manged to pull a 'rabbit out of the hat' in the dying seconds.
  "Now, we aim to beat Sabah to play in the final," said Sabri.
  Last year, Pahang finished seventh while in it was a miserable 11th in 2015.
  RESULTS: Boys -- Group X: Johor 2 Kuala Lumpur 0; Group Y: Perak 1 Pahang 0.
  Girls -- Group X: Terengganu 1 Pahang 2; Group Y: Johor 0 Kuala Lumpur 1.
  FRIDAY: Boys -- Group X: Kuala Lumpur v Penang (7.15pm, Pitch I); Group Y: Pahang v Malacca (7.15pm, Pitch II).
  Girls: Group X: Pahang v Sabah (6pm, Pitch I); Group Y: Kuala Lumpur v Malacca (6pm, Pitch II).

UNDER 16: Avtar Singh's begging pays off

By Jugjet Singh

March 22, 2018 @ 2:02pm

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Hockey Association (SHA) secretary Avtar Singh has to take out his begging bowl every time he wants to send teams to age-group and Junior Hockey League (JHL) tournaments in Peninsular Malaysia.

For him, the begging with sponsors and friends has paid off as after a short span, his players have started to impress.

Sabah boys and girls used to be punching bags for their rivals five years ago but after regularly competing in the National Under-14, Under-16 and the JHL, their boys finished fourth and the girls got a silver medal in the Under-16 last year.

This year, the Sabah boys held Pahang 1-1, Kelantan 1-1 and only lost to Kuala Lumpur 1-0 but crashed out of the medal rounds.

Ther girls qualified for the medal rounds by beating Sarawak 3-0, drawing 1-1 with Penang and losing 4-1 to Malacca.

"It's not easy as air fare, lodging, food, and allowances come up to RM80,000 for the two Under-16 teams while it’s a whopping RM200,000 for the two teams in the JHL.

"But Sabah HA know that our players can only improve if they play against stronger teams regularly and so it was decided that whatever the costs, we need to bear it.

"Our biggest supporters are MSN (Majlis Sukan Negeri) Sabah who gave RM43,000 to the Under-16 team alone this year.

"For the balance, I had to approach sponsors as well as friends 'with a begging bowl.'

"But seeing our boys and girls progress well in a short span has been a super reward, and I don't find begging a chore," said Avtar.

Sarawak are the other HA who have to bear high costs to field their players, and they, too, have shown marked improvement.

On Wednesday, Sarawak boys held Negri Sembilan to a 2-2 draw, showing a marked improvement. Last year Negri Sembilan ended sixth, while Sarawak were at the bottom 14th position.

The two state HAs should be emulated by those who feel that it is too cumbersome to look for sponsors to nurture home talent, who in the long run, will be an asset to the nation.

UNDER 16: Penang check into medal rounds

KUALA LUMPUR: Defending boys champions Perak were drawn with Pahang and Malacca in the medal rounds of the National Under-16 tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
  And the other group will have Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. A fresh draw of six teams, with none seeded, was held yesterday.
  The three teams in each group, X and Y, will play among each other and the champions of Group X will play champions of Group Y in the final. The group runners-up will battle for bronze.
  In the women's tournament, Group X is made up of Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah, while Group Y has Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca.
  Yesterday, Penang and Malacca were the last boys teams to qualify for the medal rounds.
  Penang beat Selangor 2-0 to top Group B with goals from Aliff Aqharni (22nd) and Faris Harizan (42nd).
  Penang coach Jivan Mohan, a former national player, said: "We need to improve our penalty corners to have a chance of winning a medal. We won more than 10 penalty corners against three teams in Grou B, but failed to score even one."
  Penang topped Group B with seven points, and will meet Group A runners-up Johor and Group C runner-up Kuala Lumpur in the medal round.
  RESULTS: Boys -- Group A: Johor 1 Perlis 1, Negri Sembilan 2 Sarawak 2; Group B: Selangor 0 Penang 2.
  Girls Group B: Penang 1 Sabah 1, Sarawak 0 Malacca 2.
  BOYS:
  GROUP X: Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang.
  GROUP Y: Perak, Pahang, Malacca.
  GIRLS: 
  GROUP X: Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah.
  GROUP Y: Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca.
  THURSDAY: Boys -- Johor v Kuala Lumpur (8pm, Pitch I), Perak v Pahang (8pm, Pitch II).
  Girls: Terengganu v Pahang (6.45pm, Pitch I), Johor v Kuala Lumpur (6.45pm, Pitch II).

UNDER 16: Johor boys look good

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor boys held defending champions Perak to a goalless draw in Group A, to indicate that they are a team to be reckoned with in the National Under-16 tournament.
  Playing at the National Hockey Stadium, Johor soaked in all the pressure from Perak and relied on counter-attacks but failed at the last attempt.
  The draw saw Perak top Group A on 10 points, while Johor have seven points with a match against Perlis in hand.
  Both the teams, as well as Pahang and Kuala Lumpur from Group C have qualified for the medal rounds.
  Penang and Malacca look like the best bets to qualify from Group B.
  A fresh draw will be conducted today (Wednesday) for a new grouping with three each in two groups. These six teams will be playing for honours.
  "Johor is basically made up with boys from Datuk Bentara Luar (School) in Batu Pahat and we have been training for the past two months for this tournament.
  "Last year we ended sixth, and now we are looking at a medal performance," said Johor coach Nor Affazly Abdul Gaffar.
  And after the Under-16, the boys will compete in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) with funding and coaching expertise from Universti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
  RESULTS: Boys Group A: Johor 0 Perak 0, Perlis 1 Sarawak 0; Group B: Selangor 3 Terengganu 1.
  Girls Group A: Perlis 0 Kuala Lumpur 4; Group C: Johor 2 Selangor 1, Perak 1 Terengganu 2.
  WEDNESDAY: Boys -- Group A: Johor v Perlis (5pm, Pitch I), Negri Sembilan v Sarawak (6.30pm, Pitch I); Group B: Selangor v Penang (5pm, Pitch II).
  Girls Group B: Penang v Sabah (7.30am, Pitch I), Sarawak v Malacca (8.45am, Pitch II).

UNDER 16: Velappan sees improvements

KUALA LUMPUR: 1Mas chief boys coach S. Velappan said the quality of play has improved tremendously in the ongoing National Under-16 tournament as compared to previous years.
  There is better preparation from states, the boys have better basis skills and even the coaches employ cunning tactics at this age-group level.
  "Most of these boys have gone through the various 1Mas programmes at their states and compared to previous years, I can see vast improvement in many areas.
  "The top six boys teams like Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Johor, Penang and Malacca are playing at a maturity level is also better team work, commitment and tactics employed in the ongoing tournament," said Velappan.
  The 1Mas programme was started by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) in 2010 with an objective to widen the base and pool of young players in the country.
  While it did not work out in some states, many other states are still strongly involved with the MHC programme.
  "After this tournament we will select 27 players to be called up for various camps and programmes to make them better. The core group of youth are presently with the Project 2020 team coached by Nor Saiful Zaini, while this Under-16 group will be coached as the second wave of youth talent for the nation," said Velappan.

When players become victims of administration issues

Pic: Kirandeep Kaur


KUALA LUMPUR: The National Under-16 hockey tournament is a platform where new talent is supposed to be discovered, while established players impress selectors further.
  But this year, an established player was not selected while eighteen boys and eighteen girls from Kedah became victims -- both due to administration issues.
  Kirandeep Kaur, has over the years, won many accolades at school, zone and state levels for having the winning touch, as well as being more matured and skillful than her age-group.
  At 14, she scored the winning goal in the Under-16 last year. Kuala Lumpur beat Sabah 4-3 thanks to her super fourth goal.
  That is not all, national women's chief coach K. Dharmaraj as well as Technical Director Terry Walsh are impressed with her skills and are only waiting for her to grow up before they include her in their plans.
  But the 15-year-old became a victim of administration, when it seems there was a mix-up of selection dates, as well as changes in coach and manager -- and she missed the opportunity to play for her state.
  In an age where social media groups can inform targeted people where and what time to meet inside seconds, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA) should utilise it to inform parents when and where selections will be done.
  KLHA have been utilising social media for some time now, and maybe there was a hiccup this time around. It needs to be looked into.
  And then the missed bus story from Kedah Hockey Association (KHA).
  Whatever the excuse, KHA failed to do their job well even though the blame was on a bus which broke down, followed by money issues which saw 36 children miss the opportunity of their lives.
  They had trained hard and were looking forward to this opportunity to travel to Kuala Lumpur and play at the Natioanl Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
  For Kuala Lumpur and Selangor children, its easy to play the the stadium which has hosted many international events including the 2002 World Cup.
  But for some kid from Kedah, it might have been his/her only chance to play at the coveted venue as well as a stepping stone to represent the state more often -- be noticed by selectors and represent Malaysia at the Olympics and World Cup in the next decade.
  Yes, it all begins at the Under-16 level.
  If Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu can find the money to travel and house their players in Kuala Lumpur for nine days, there is no excuse for KHA not to be able to provide the same for their players.
  If Kedah Hockey Team can find the money to hire six foreign players for their Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) campaign this year, KHA should also have done their sponsorship rounds for children.
  But if KHA continue neglecting age-group development, in the end, they will have to hire more Pakistan and other players to form a team.
  That will be penny wise pound foolish, or like the Malay proverb 'Kera di hutan disusukan tetapi anak di pangkuan mati kelaparan.'
  As for KLHA, they should have a meeting with the affected party to sort out matters, for helping to nurture good players will look good on their development dossier.

UNDER 16: KLHA -- Kirandeep did not show up for all days

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA) insisted Sunday that talented 15-year-old Kirandeep Kaur was not selected for the ongoing National Under-16 tournament because she did not turn up for 'all the selection days'.
  KLHA secretary V. Rajamanickam said: "Yes, I agree that Kirandeep Kaur is a very talented player but she also needs to go through the process of selection like other players. It would not be fair to select her if she does not come for all the days, while we drop someone who comes diligently."
  It was reported by TimeSport that Kirandeep Kaur came for three days for selection but when the coach and team manager was changed by KLHA, she was not informed about the new venue and dates for selection.
  "Yes we did change the coach and manager midway through selection but that is KLHA's preregotive. How come all the other girls knew about the new selection date and venue as well as coach expect for Kirandeep Kaur?," questioned Rajamanickam.
  National women's coach K. Dharmaraj has said many times that Kirandeep Kaur is a promising player.
  Darmaraj had said: ""I and other selectors have been noticing Kirandeep for a few years now, and after she impressed in the MHL (Women) by turning up for UiTM, Terry Walsh (Malaysian Hockey Confederation Technical Director) told me to include her in the recent four friendlies against Japan Under-21.
  "I had to say 'no' because the friendlies were a platform for my other girls to fight for a slot in the Commonwealth Games squad."
   Rajamanickam agreed with Dharmaraj but said: "We all know she is talented. But I am sure Dharmaraj has also dropped talented players with discipline problems before.
  "We just did the same."
  During the final KLHA selection, Kirandeep Kaur was involved with the Kuala Lumpur Schools Sports Council athletics meet where she won three gold medals in 100m, 4x100m, 4x400m and bronze in the 200m.

UNDER-16: Kedah boys and girls left stranded

KUALA LUMPUR: Kedah Hockey Association are expected to be penalised by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) for an 11th-hour no-show at the ongoing National Under-16 Boys' and Girls' hockey tournament.
  Kedah boys and girls were left stranded on Friday, when the bus that was supposed to ferry them to Kuala Lumpur, never arrived.
  Under-16 Tournament Director Hafeez Yunus confirmed a new schedule, and said a report will be submitted to the MHC for further action.
  "Yes, Kedah boys and girls failed to show up and we had to redraw the fixtures. A report will be submitted to the MHC for further action. They can be penalised," said Hafeez.
  But in the end the Kedah boys and girls will be the biggest losers.
  "We had conducted trials and selected boys and girls teams for the Uder-16 and even had a one-week centralised training while jerseys and other equipment were also ready.
  "However, the sponsored bus broke down and we could not find an alternate transport because to hire a new bus for nine days would have cost us about RM8,000, which is beyound our reach. I have written to the MHC explaining what had transpired," said Kedah HA secretary B. Sandra Gesan.
  In the letter to MHC Sandra had suggested: "To raise the RM3,000 tournament grant to RM5,000, and also provide higher transport and other allowance for teams which travel more than 150kms."
  "The old allowance figure is a decade old, and with rising costs, it should be reviewed by the MHC. We had done everything but in the end, the bus broke down and we could not afford another," said Sandra.
  On the Kedah Women's Hockey Face Book, they lamented on a lost generation of Kedah players who could not enjoy the experience of playing in an important age group tournament.

UNDER 16: Sabah boys fight back

KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah boys fought back gallantly to hold Pahang 1-1 in Group C of the National Under-16 tournament at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Sunday.
  Last year, Sabah beat Pahang 2-1 at the group stage but lost 2-1 in the bronze medal playoff.
  Yesterday, Hazim Mohamed Ahir gave Pahang the lead in the second minute, but Ahmad Amza Masri stole a point for his team with an 18th minute strike.
  Sabah coach Hasrul Jideh said his charges had improved, but he wants more from them in the next match against Kuala Lumpur Monday, as they had also drawn 1-1 against Kelantan on Saturday.
  "We have eight players from last year's side and although we have improved since finishing fourth, the other teams have also improved as well.
  "And after two draws, we need to beat Kuala Lumpur in our final group match to keep our hopes alive of playing for a medal," said Hasrul.
  Kuala Lumpur lost 3-2 to Pahang on Saturday but beat Kelantan 2-1 yesterday. They will also be looking for a win aganst Sabah.
  RESULTS -- Boys: Group A: Sarawak x Johor x, Perak x Negri Sembilan x.
  Group B: Terengganu 1 Malacca 0.
  Group C: Kelantan 1 Kuala Lumpur 2, Pahang 1 Sabah 1.
  GIRLS: Group A: Negri Sembilan 1 Pahang 8.
  Group C: Terengganu 1 Selangor 1, Johor 0 Perak 0.
  MONDAY -- Boys: Group A: Perlis v Negri Sembilan (8pm, Pitch I), Sarawak v Perak (8pm, Pitch II).
  Group B: Penang v Malacca (9.15pm, Pitch I).
  Group C: Kuala Lumpur v Sabah (6.45pm, Pitch I), Kelantan v Pahang (6.45pm, Pitch II).
  GIRLS -- Group A: Negri Sembilan v Perlis (8.45am, Pitch I), Kuala Lumpur v Pahang (10am, Pitch II).
  Group B: Sarawak v Penang (7.30am, Pitch I), Sabah v Malacca (8.45am, Pitch II).

UNDER16.. NOT SELECTED

NATIONAL women's coach K. Dharmaraj has seen it all, and it is very hard to impress or surprise him.
  But yesterday, he was caught off guard when told that Kuala Lumpur did not select Kirandeep Kaur Gurdip Singh for the ongoing National Under-16 hockey tournament at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
  "What? Kuala Lumpur did not select Kirandeep for Under-16?" was his initial response.
  For a brief flash-back, 15-year-old Kirandeep scored Kuala Lumpur's winning goal in the Under-16 final last year. KL won the title with a slim 4-3 win over Sabah.
  And she played in the Women's Malaysia Hockey League, an open tournament, for UiTM this year and even impressed former women's assistant coach K. Gobinathan.
  "A very talented player like her only comes out of the system once in many years and I hope she does not gets disheartened and stops playing hockey.
  "I and other selectors have been noticing Kirandeep for a few years now, and after she impressed in the MHL(Women) by turning up for UiTM, Terry Walsh (Malaysian Hockey Confederation Technical Director) told me to include her in the recent four friendlies against Japan Under-21.
  "Even though she is only 15, even I felt she deserves a chance but had to say 'no' because the friendlies was a platform for my other girls to fight for a slot in the Commonwealth Games squad.
  "And I had to give my other players their playing time (in the four friendlies) to be fair in selection.
  "She has been helping Kuala Lumpur in age-group tournaments for some time now, and I am shocked that they did not include her for the Under-16," said Dharmaraj.
  KL coach A. Kannagi said that Kirandeep did not show up for selection, and that's why she was not selected.
  But a check with other officials revealed that Kirandeep came three days for KL selection, under a different coach and manager, but was not called for the final selection.
  "There was some confusion in KL and the selection was done in a haphazard manner by different people at different times and places. And on the day that the players were named, Kirandeep was competing in the MSSM athletics event.
  "It's tragic that she was bounced along, and then unceremoniously dropped," said the official.

Nat U16: Perak Boys survive..

KUALA LUMPUR: Perak coach Abdul Sukur Adam was all stressed out when his team failed to show up until after half-time to beat Perlis 2-0 in the Boys' National Under-16 tournament at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
  Perak, the defending champions, did everything right except scored until the 39th minute, when Farhan Haziq Rahimi pounced on a rebound, while Amirul Haniff Mamat made sure with a 57th minute goal.
  "It was a really stressful match for me as my boys played below what they are capable off. I believe they will improve after today (yesterday) and there is no need to push the panic button," said Abdul Sukor.
  Playing in Group A, the defending champions next meet Negri Sembilan today (Sunday).
  "That fact that we only had 10 minutes to warm up because of rain, as well as a heavy pitch to make penalty corners more difficult also added to our 'misery' until Farhan scored.
  "But with the first match jitters over, I believe Perak has a team which can mount a serious challenge to defend our title. The target is still to win our fifth Under-16 crown," said Abdul Sukur.
  BOYS' RESULTS: Group A: Perak 2 Perlis 0, Negri Sembilan 0 Johor 1.
  Group B: Terengganu 0 Penang 2, Malacca 2 Selangor 1.
  Group C: Pahang 3 Kuala Lumpur 2, Sabah x Kelantan x.
  FIXTURES -- Sunday: Group A: Sarawak v Johor (7.15pm, Pitch I), Perak v Negri Sembilan (7.30pm, Pitch II).
  Group B: Terengganu v Malacca (4.45pm, Pitch II).
  Group C: Kelantan v Kuala Lumpur (6pm, Pitch I), Pahang v Sabah 6pm, Pitch II).

Nat U16: KL Girls off to super start

KUALA LUMPUR: Defending Girls' National Under-16 champions Kuala Lumpur got off to a super start when they hammered Negri Sembilan 5-0 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Saturday.
  KL coach A. Kannagi was expecting a win from her charges, but not a walk in the park.
  "We went in looking for a win as a first step towards defending out title, but I did not expect such a big margin. The difference was that my players nailed the chances that came their way, and there was little wastage," said Kannagi a former national player.
  And Kuala Lumpur did it even without one of their star players from last year, Kirandeep Kaur Gurdip Singh.
  Kirandeep, a promising player who was praised last year by men's national coach K. Dharmaraj as a budding talent, scored the winning goal in Kuala Lumpur's 4-3 triumph over Sabah in the final.
  "Even though she (Kirandeep) is still eligible to play, she did not turn up for selection," said Kannagi.
  Kuala Lumpur will next play Pahang on Monday, and Kannagi feels its their nemesis in Group A.
  "Pahang is the strongest team in our group, and I expect my players to at least steal a point from them."
  The Kuala Lumpur goals were scored by Razreena Razali (4th), Nur Alyysa Diyana (11th, 16th), Razreena Razali (50th, 60th).
  GIRLS' RESULTS: Group A: Kuala Lumpur 5 Negri Sembilan 0, Pahang 5 Perlis 0.
  Group B: Penang 1 Malacca 4, Sabah 3 Sarawak 0.
  Group C: Selangor 1 Perak 2, Johor 2 Terengganu 2.
  FIXTURES -- Sunday: Group A: Negri Sembilan v Pahang (8.45am, Pitch II).
  Group C: Terengganu v Selangor (7.30am, Pitch I), Johor v Perak (7.30am, Pitch II).

Kuala Lumpur HC (KLHC) might quit MHL

By Bazly Azmi

"KLHC has informed the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) that there is a big possibility that we might not field a team in the 2019 MHL. Players have also been told to be ready to find a new club," said KLHC owner George Koshy

Ini tamparan hebat untuk arena hoki negara.

Sebuah kelab yang memiliki rekod gah degan enam kali kejuaraan liga, juara Piala TNB empat kali, tidak termasuk deretan Piala Sumbangsih dan Piala Tan Sri P Alagendra - akhirnya mahu menarik diri daripada Liga Hoki Malaysia (LHM)

Kelab Hoki Kuala Lumpur (KLHC) menyertai LHM sejak 2010 walaupun sebelum itu mereka dikenali sebagai Ernst & Young (E&Y).

Gergasi ini pernah dibarisi pemain ternama kebangsaan seperti Mirnawan Nawawi, Rodhanizam Mat Radzi, mendiang Chua Boon Huat, Zulkifli Rejab, Ismail Abu, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil, Sukri Mutalib, Muhammad Razie Abd Rahim hinggalah generasi baru seperti Mohd Haziq Shamsul.

"KLHC sudah memaklumkan Konfederasi Hoki Malaysia (KHM) bahawa kami kemungkinan besar tidak akan menyertai LHM 2019. Pemain sudah dimaklumkan untuk bersiap-sedia mencari pasukan baru," kata pemilik kelab, George Koshy.

"Keputusan ini cukup mengecewakan. Tidak sangka, kelab besar seperti KLHC akan tutup kedai. Kami sudah mengecap semua kejuaraan domestik malah pernah bergelar juara kelab Asia (2007)," kata kapten, Sukri Mutalib.

"Satu pengalaman indah menyarung jersi E&Y. Saya harap kelab ini dapat diselamatkan kerana mereka sudah menetapkan penanda aras yang tinggi dalam liga," kata Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi.

KLHC tidak memaklumkan punca pembubaran mereka tetapi dipercayai ada kaitan dengan kewangan.

George jadi pelabur tunggal sejak 2010 dan untuk setiap musim, beliau terpaksa mengeluarkan kos sendiri hampir RM2,000,000 untuk saingan selama dua bulan.

Adakah beliau mendapat pulangan? Adakah beliau dihargai? Adakah beliau mampu memastikan KLHC masih kompetitif untuk tempoh 10 tahun lagi?

Perlu diingatkan, suntikan dana kelab seperti Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) dan Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) kian bertambah. Unikl contohnya, sedang menunggu stadium mereka disiapkan (dijangka Mei ini).

Mereka akan muncul kelab pertama di Malaysia memiliki stadium dan rumah kelab sendiri.

Persoalan paling besar, jika KLHC yang gah dengan Piala Sumbangsih, Piala Tan Sri P Alagendra dan muncul naib juara liga serta Piala TNB boleh menarik diri, bagaimana dengan pasukan kecil lain?

Bagaimana dengan Maybank, TNB Thunderbolt?

Jika KLHC boleh menarik diri, apa akan berlaku kepada LHM? Adakah KHM hanya memerhatikan kelab elit melangkah pergi?

Saya pernah menyuarakan kebimbangan dalam program Sidang Sukan bahawa LHM akan terkubur jika KHM berdiam diri, meneruskan penganjuran setiap tahun tanpa penambahbaikan, tanpa mengkaji nilai komersial liga.

Akhirnya, kebimbangan itu berlaku.

Semoga George dapat cari jalan penyelesaian tapi jika gagal, selamat tinggal KLHC!

Malaysia end fourth

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia lost the Azlan Shah Cup bronze medal by a whisker when they were beaten by Olympic champions Argentina 3-2 in a pulsating encounter Saturday.

  Argentina took a 2-0 lead off Juan Lopez (first minute), and Gonzalo Peillat (22nd), but Joel van Huizen (24th) and Faizal Shaari (27th) drew level for Malaysia.

  Pedro Ibarra nailed the winner off a 49th minute penalty corner attempt.

  There was drama until the final seconds, as Malaysia removed goalkeeper Hafizuddin Othman and replaced him with an extra defender, and almost scored but luck was not with them.

  With five seconds on the clock, Azri Hassan and Faizal Shaari failed to touch a bouncing ball, hit from outside the semi-circle, which went sailing in.

  The video referal cooled down edgy Argentina nerves, as it cleary showed Asri missing the bouncing ball by centimetres, followed by another centimetre miss by Faizal.

  The Argentinians emerged champions in Ipoh in 2008 and runners-up four years later while Malaysians have yet to win the title since the inception of the tournament in 1983.

  RESULTS: Final -- Australia 2 England 1, Third-Fourth: Argentina 3 Malaysia 2; Fifth-Sixth: India 4 Ireland 1.

England rule Malaysia, again...

IPOH: MALAYSIA blew a super chance to play in the final of the 27th Azlan Shah Cup, when they crumbled 7-2 to England Friday.
  Earlier in the day Australia had beaten Argentina 3-1 to shut the door on the South Americans, and all Malaysia had to do was to beat England.
  Malaysia will now play Argentina for the bronze, while England and Australia will battle for the gold.
  Malaysia had beaten Argentina 2-1 at the group stages, but going by current form, the Olympic champions start as favourites for bronze.
  Yesetrday, after missing two early penalty corners, coach Stephen van Huizen's men were a defensive nightmare and conceeded three goals in the first quarter itself.
  For the record, England had hammered Malaysia 7-3 in the World League Semifinals Group A match, and then beat Malaysia 4-1 in the Third-Fourth placing match.
  The English goals were scored by Mark Gleghorne (10th, 48th), Ollie Willars (11th), Barry Middleton (15th, 31st), Sam Ward (38th, 41st),  .
  Razie Rahim (50th) and Marhan Jalil (52nd) scored for Malaysia.
  World champions Australia beat Olympics champions Argentina 3-1 with goals from Aaron Kleinschmidt (25th, 56th) and Trent Mitton (55th).
  Gonzalo Peillat scored for Argentina off a 21st minute penalty corner.
  Australia has been enjoying winning streaks against the Argentinians since the 2012 London Olympics. They last defeated Argentina 2-1 at the 2017 Orrisa Men’s Hockey World League final in Bhubaneswar, India.
  Australia coach Colin Batch said: "Looking back at the five games played, we have been consistent with what we do and today we did not start as well as we wanted, and Argentina obviously got in front.
  "They are playing well and good credit to my players in the comeback to level firstly and then win the game in the last couple of minutes of the fourth quarter.
  "We know that good consistence performance is what we want in our team. We are never a team that just rely on one player. We are pleased with that result and scored the goals under difficult situations and conditions.
  "We also know that penalty corners are important for Argentina and Andrew Charter made some good saves at the back. We know we can rely on both our goalkeepers.
  "We are looking forward to Saturday's final."
  RESULTS: Argentina 3 Australia 1, Ireland 3 India 2, Malaysia 2 England 7.
  SATURDAY: Final -- Australia v England (8.30pm), Third-Fourth: Argentina v Malaysia (6.0pm); Fifth-Sixth: India v Ireland (3.30pm).
STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         5  5  0  0  18 6  15
ENGLAND           5  2  2  1  14 9  8
ARGENTINA         5  2  1  2  11 11 7
MALAYSIA          5  2  0  3  10 17 6
INDIA             5  1  1  3  12 12 4
IRELAND           5  1  0  4  9  19 3

AZLAN SHAH CUP: Ireland 3 India 2

RESULTS: Argentina 3 Australia 1, Ireland 3 India 2, Malaysia x England 
x.
 STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         5  5  0  0  18 6  15
ARGENTINA         5  2  1  2  11 11 7
MALAYSIA          4  2  0  2  8  10 6
ENGLAND           4  1  2  1  7  7  5
INDIA             5  1  1  3  12 12 4
IRELAND           5  1  0  4  9  19 3

ENDS/

JHL: SSTMI Thunderbolts 7 SSTMI juniors 0

KUALA LUMPUR: Junior Hockey League (JHL) Division One Overall champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts whipped SSTMI Juniors 7-0 on Friday.
  And after this, the JHL will take a break for the National Under-16 tournament on March 17-25. 
  But after the break, SSTMI Thunderbolts will square off against Division One Overall runners-up Pahang Sports School Thunderbolts on March 28.
  Yesterday, Pahang SS beat last season's League champions Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) 3-1.
  When told about the Pahang schools win, SSTMI Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman was taken aback.
  "Oh really? Pahang won?," was his shocked response.
  "That's news to me. And it only means we can't afford a break during the National Under-16 tournament break. None of my players will be competing in the Under-16, and so we will have to train harder to collect full points from Pahang," said Wan Roslan.
  There are four Thunderbolts teams in the Under-19 JHL, funded and trained by Tenaga Nasional. The other two are Bukit Jalil Sports School and Anderson of Ipoh.
  RESULTS: Division One -- Pahang SS Thunderbolts 3 PJCC Tigers 1, SSTMI 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts 7.

Beat England or bust...

IPOH: Three teams will be battling for one final slot in the 27th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup Friday.
  Australia checked in early on 12 points while Argentina, Malaysia and England will be playing for the other final slot Friday.
  For Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen and his men, they must first hope world No 1 Australia beats world No 2 Argentina in the first match of the day.
  And then Malaysia needs to beat England, to play in the final.
  "We know the situation well, and were really hoping to claim the final ticket by beating India but it did not happen.
  "Now, it's out of our hands as Australia needs to beat Argentina to keep our hopes alive. Nevertheless, we will play all out for a win against England for the highest possible finish in the tournament," said van Huizen.
  Malaysia played their worse match against India and lost 5-1, and on Friday they will be hoping to play like they did in the 2-1 win against Argentina.
  "All the players have knocks and bruises but only Marhan (Jalil) might not be available for Friday as he received a nasty knock against India.
  "We know there is a good chance to beat England, and we will not throw it away regardless the outcome of the first match (Argentina v Australia)."
  And on the India match, van Huizen said: "I am certainly not happy with the way we played against India. We did not expect this sort of result coming into the game. We thought that after the Argentina game we have a chance to put ourselves in the final.
  "We just have to regroup and try to play a good game against England, as I said coming into this tournament, if we can get some good results, it's good enough (as preparation for the Commonwealth, Asian Games and World Cup).
  THURSDAY: REST DAY.
  FRIDAY: Argentina v Australia (4pm), Ireland v India (6pm), Malaysia v England (8.30pm).

STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         4  4  0  0  15 5  12
ARGENTINA         4  2  1  1  10 8  7
MALAYSIA          4  2  0  2  8  10 6
ENGLAND           4  1  2  1  7  7  5
INDIA             4  1  1  2  10 9  4
IRELAND           4  0  0  4  6  17 0

India 5 Malaysia 1

MALAYSIA played hot and cold to allow India to beat them 5-1 in the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh Wednesday.

  And now, they must beat England on Friday and hope Australia beat Argentina to play in the final of the 27th Edition.

  Yesterday, India took a lead off Shilanand Lakra in the 10th minute, when he picked a cross from Gurjant Singh in front of Hafizuddin Othman and cooly lifts the ball over the goalkeeper and into goal.

  Faizal Shaari scores the equaliser in the 33rd minute, but goals from Gurjant Singh (42nd, 57th) and Ramandeep Singh (48th, 55th) destroys Malaysia.

  In an earlier match, World champions Australia booked a place in Saturday’s final when they beat Ireland 4-1 for 12 points from four matches, with a match against Argentina in hand Friday.

  Jake Whetton (11th), Daniel Beale (14th), Govers (21st) and Jake Harvie (50th) scored for Australia while Shane O’Donoghue scored for Ireland in the 57th minute.

  Australian coach Colin Batch said: "The weather was a little hot in the first half (direct 4pm sun) but we play again on Friday against Argentina at the same time.

  "If we can play like these six matches in eight days, its an amazing preparation for us towards the Commonwealth Games, Champions Trophy and World Cup."

  England and Argentina played out a 1-1 draw, making it more difficult for the Olympic champions to play in the final.

  Argentina have to beat Australia on Friday for a shot at the gold medal.

  Juan Gilardi scored for Argentina in the 40th minute, while David Condon equalised for England in the 56th minute.

  RESULTS: Australia 4 Ireland 1, Argentina 1 England 1, Malaysia 1 India 5.

  THURSDAY: REST DAY.

  FRIDAY: Argentina v Australia (4pm), Ireland v India (6pm), Malaysia v England (8.30pm).

STANDINGS

                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts

AUSTRALIA         4  4  0  0  15 5  12

ARGENTINA         4  2  1  1  10 8  7

MALAYSIA          4  2  0  2  8  10 6

ENGLAND           4  1  2  1  7  7  5

INDIA             4  1  1  2  10 9  4

IRELAND           4  0  0  4  6  17 0

BJSS Thunderbolts hammer Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 10-0

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) Thunderbolts hammered Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 10-0 in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) Wednesday.
  And defending Overall champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts beat Datuk Bentara-UniKL 4-0 to assert their superiority, while SSTMI juniiors held last years League champions Petaling Jaya City Council to a 1-1 draw.
  BJSS scored seven field and three penalty corner goals past goalkeeper Amir Muhaimin Ahmad. 
  Adam Daniel led the goalspree with four (14th, 17th, 26th, 30th), while the others were scored by Ameer Aiman (7th), Halif Fadzly (18th, 44th), Zul Rasyad Izzat (41st), Idris Samad (42nd) and Kemerol Harith  (58th).
  BJSS coach Lokman Yahaya was elated with the result, and hopes it is just the tonic his boys need to impress this season.
  "We scored early goals and that might have rattled Olak. We went in looking for a win, but did not expect the opponent to cave in so easily.
  "I am really pleased as we scored seven field and three penalty corner goals and hope that this momentum is carried forward in our remaining matches," said Lokman.
  BJSS will take a well deserved break as some of their players will be involved with the National Under 16 tournament on March 17-25. They will play their second match on March 28 against Sabah Sports School Resilient.
  RESULTS: PJCC Tigers 1 SSTMI 1, Datuk Bentara-UniKL 0 SSTMI Thunderbolts 4, BJSS Thunderbolts 10 Olak 0.
  FRIDAY: Pahang SS Thunderbolts v PJCC Tigers (Kuantan, 5pm), SSTMI v SSTMI Thunderbolts (SSTMI, 5pm).

AZLAN SHAH CUP: Mas 2 Arg 1

MALAYSIA beat world No 2 Argentina 2-1 in a heart-stopping Azlan Shah Cup match in Ipoh Tuesday.
   And now, coach Stephen van Huizen's men must beat India Wednesday to have a chance of finishing among the top-four.
  By half-time, Malaysia led World No 2 Argentina with goals from Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin (20th) and Najmi Jazlan (28th).
  Lady luck was also on Malaysia's side, as just before the half-time hooter, Argentina were awarded a penalty stroke but Juan Gilardi's attempt was stopped by goalkeeper Hairi Rahman.
  Tengku's classic goal came after he squeezes the ball past Argentina keeper Juan Vivaldi in a goalmouth melee, while Najmi deflects a cross from Faizal Shaari from close range.
  However, just after the restart, Argentina pulled one back when Diego Paz is left unchecked inside the Malaysian circle and he deflects a pass from well outside the circle from Pedro Ibarra in the 32th minute.
  With seven minutes to go, Faizal Shaari is handed the yellow card, but Malaysi still went on to hold onto the slim lead for a fantastic victory.
  In an earlier match, World No 1 Australia beat India 4-2 to maintain a strong grip on the standings.
  India defended well in the early stages, but there was no denying Australia glory in the third and fourth quarter of the match.
  Five-time Azlan Shah Cup champion India are in trouble now, as they have lost two matches and drew one so far.
  Australia took the lead off a Mark Knowles penalty stroke in the 28th minute while the other goals were scord by Aran Zalewski (35th), Daniel Beale (41st) and Blake Govers (43rd).
  India came back strongly in the last quarter with two goals, the first came from an own goal by Jeremy Edwards (52nd) and the second off Ramandeep Singh (53rd).
  In another match, England sent Ireland crashing to their third defeat with a clinical 4-1 victory with goals from Barry Middleton (15th, 59th) and Sam Ward (37th, 51st).
  The Irish goal was scored by Julian Dale (39th).
  RESULTS: England 4 Ireland 1, India 2 Australia 4, Malaysia 2 Argentina 1.
  WEDNESDAY: Australia v Ireland (4pm), Argentina v England (6pm), Malaysia v India (8.30pm).
  THURSDAY: REST DAY.

STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         3  3  0  0  11 4  9
ARGENTINA         3  2  0  1  9  7  6
MALAYSIA          3  2  0  1  7  5  6
ENGLAND           3  1  1  1  6  6  4
INDIA             3  0  1  2  5  8  1
IRELAND           3  0  0  3  5  13 0

INDIA 2 AUSTRALIA 4

AZLAN SHAH CUP

RESULTS: England 4 Ireland 1, India 2 Australia 4, Malaysia x Argentina 
x.


STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         3  3  0  0  11 4  9
ARGENTINA         2  2  0  0  8  5  6
ENGLAND           3  1  1  1  6  6  4
MALAYSIA          2  1  0  1  5  4  3
INDIA             3  0  1  2  5  8  1
IRELAND           3  0  0  3  5  13 0


ENDS/

Wan Roslan: No clear favourites in JHL this season..

KUALA LUMPUR: Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) Thunderbolts believe there are no clear favourites in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) which begins Wednesday.
  Last season, SSTMI Thunderbolts won the Overall title when they beat Pahang Sports School Thunderbolts 4-3 in shoot-out after both sides drew 2-2 during regulation time.
  The League title was won my Petaling Jaya City Council Tigers on 23 points, while SSTMI Thunderbolts were second on 21 points.
  SSTMI Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman said: "The early indications are that any one of the four Thunderbolts have a chance to win titles this season. It's a level playing field."
  Th other Thunderbolts are Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Anderson School of Ipoh.
  Thunderbolts is a project run and funded by Tenaga Nasonal, and last season all four were the semi-finalists in the Overall title chase.
   "People are saying with UniKL (Universiti Kuala Lumpur) not fielding a team in the JHL this season, SSTMI are going to have an easy time. But I beg to differ, as the three other Thunderbolts and even our first opponents this season (SMK Datuk Bentara Luar) have a good team.
  "Bentara Luar held us to a 1-1 draw last season, and we only beat them 4-2 in shoot-out," said Wan Roslan.
  (Note: Drawn matches in League were decided with a shoot-out last season).
  SSTMI will play Bentara Luar, sponsored and managed by UniKL, at Batu Pahat.
  "We will be playing Datuk Bentara at their own den, and I expect it to be another tough match, just like last season," said Wan Roslan.
  Datuk Bentara and SSTMI both have their own artificial pitches and sponsors.
  WEDNESDAY: PJCC Tigers v SSTMI (PJ Stadium, 5pm), Datuk Bentara-UniKL v SSTMI Thunderbolts (Batu Pahat, 5pm), BJSS Thunderbolts v Olak (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).
  FRIDAY: Pahang SS Thunderbolts v PJCC Tigers (Kuantan, 5pm), SSTMI v SSTMI Thunderbolts (SSTMI, 5pm).

AZLAN SHAH CUP: Stop Peillat the one-man Army..

IPOH: Gonzalo Peillat is a one-man Army for Argentina.
  He's only 25-years-old, but has helped Argentina win bronze at the 2014 World Cup at the Hague, Netherlands by top-scoring with 10 goals.
  Peillat's best achievement so far is winning the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. No prizes for guessing, yes, he was again the tournament top-scorer with 11 goals.
  And Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) hired him for the recent Malaysia Hockey League, where he was again tournament top-scorer on 16 goals to help THT win the League title.
  The drag-flick specialist has scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the Azlan Shah Cup, to help beat India 3-2 and Ireland 5-3.
  And today, he will be depended upon to demolish Malaysia in the 27th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup.
  "The last time we played Argentina in a tournament was in the World League Semifinals (in London 2017) and we lost 5-2 (in Group A). And then we against lost to them 2-1 (in the semi-finals).
  "They are the Olympic champions and I expect them to give us a tough time but we are ready to challenge them.
  "It is going to be a difficult game, and we have to be wary of their penalty corners as Peillat scored four in their 5-2 win in London, and he has scored six goals in two matches so far," said Malaysian coach Stephen van Huizen.
  Van Huizen has plans on how to run out during penalty corners, and hopefully they work.
  "We practiced some run outs during the two friendly games (where Malaysia lost 3-2 and then won 3-0) and just like every team here in Ipoh, we will be looking to minimise giving away penalty corners.
  "And when we do give away penalty corners, we need to perfect our run outs against Peillat," said Van Huizen.
  MONDAY: REST DAY.
  TUESDAY: England v Ireland (4pm), India v Australia (6pm), Malaysia v Argentina (8.30pm).


STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         2  2  0  0  7  2  6
ARGENTINA         2  2  0  0  8  5  6
MALAYSIA          2  1  0  1  5  4  3
INDIA             2  0  1  1  3  4  1
ENGLAND           2  0  1  1  2  5  1
IRELAND           2  0  0  2  4  9  0

AZLAN SHAH CUP: MAS 1 AUST 3

WORLD No 1 Australia beat Malaysia 3-1 in a highly entertaining Azlan Shah Cup encounter in Ipoh Sunday.
  And after a day's rest, coach Stephen van Huizen's men face world No 2 Argentina in what is also expected to be an uphill battle.
  Yesterday, world no 12 Malaysia never had a single shot at goal until the third quarter, and the only time Malaysia 'scored' was in the 33rd minute.
  However, the Australians asked for video referal, and Razie Rahim's penalty corner attempt was not recognised, as the ball was not stopped outside the semicircle as rules required.
  The Australian goals were scored by Corey Weyer (10th), Dylan Wotherspoon (29th) and Aaron Kleisnhmidt (43rd).
  Marhan Jalil scored a famous goal for Malaysia in the 53rd minute.
  In an earlier match, Olympic champions Argentina came back from two goals down to beat Ireland 5-3,
  The Los Leones (The Lions) as they are nicknamed share the top of the table on six points with Australia -- both with two consecutive wins.
   Ireland, World No 10, took a two-goal lead after 17 minutes of play.
   Shane O’ Donoghue (12th),  Sean Murray (17th) and Eugene Magee (52nd) scored for the Irish.
   But Argentina's penalty corner specialist Gonzalo Peillat scored his second hat-trick of the tournament (20th, 23rd, 47th) while Lucas Vila (22nd) and Juan Gilardi (30th) handed them victory.
  Peillat, the world’s top penalty corner specialist, also scored a hat-trick in their 3-2 victory over India.
  Argentina chief coach Rolando Rivero said: "In the first half Ireland were really good and tough and started with the two goals. It was really tough and in the second half we tried to change and adjust our game plan and I think we did it right to score those goals."
  Argentina play Malaysia after a day's rest.
  "Our next match against is against Malaysia we will try to improve further.
  "We know its going to be tough with Malaysia having home ground advantage. Malaysia plays really well and hard and we are looking forward to it."
  Ireland coach Craig Fulton said his charges played much better than they did in the first match against Malaysia.
  "It was much a better performance than against Malaysia (lost 4-1),
the nice thing is how strong we finished in the fourth quarter, but failed to score."
  RESULTS: India 1 England 1, Ireland 3 Argentina 5, Malaysia 1 Australia 3.
  MONDAY: REST DAY.
  TUESDAY: England v Ireland (4pm), India v Australia (6pm), Malaysia v Argentina (8.30pm).


STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
AUSTRALIA         2  2  0  0  7  2  6
ARGENTINA         2  2  0  0  8  5  6
MALAYSIA          2  1  0  1  5  4  3
ENGLAND           2  0  1  1  2  5  1
INDIA             2  0  1  1  3  4  1
IRELAND           2  0  0  2  4  9  0

Glorious night for Malaysia

IPOH: Malaysia started their Azlan Shah Cup campaign in style, when they beat Ireland 4-1 Saturday.
  Razie Rahim opened scoring in the fourth minute with an unusual attempt, as the defender-cum penalty corner flicker scored off a field attempt and then added another penalty corner goal in the 24th minute.
  His hat-trick came off a 44th minute penalty corner.
  Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin scored the other in the fourth minute.
  Ireland got their goal in the 53rd minute off Kirk Shimmin, who beats two Malaysians before unleashing a low drive to beat goalkeeper Hairi Rahman.
 It was a fantastic first goal from Malaysian skipper Razie Rahim.
 Picking up the ball from a counter attack, he beats two defenders before tucking the ball with a reverse hit past an onrushing keeper Jamie Carr.
  Sunday, Malaysia play world No 1 Australia.
  Meanwhile, World No 1 penalty corner flicker Gonzalo Peillat led Argentina with a hat-trick (13th, 24th, 33rd) to beat India 3-2.
  India's goals also came off penalty corners, with Amit Rohidas (26th, 31st) scoring a brace.
  Argentina, the 2016 Rio Olympic champions, and ranked No 2 in the world, will next play Ireland Sunday.
  For the record, India last played Argentina in the 2017 World League Final in Bhubaneswar and lost 1-0. Both teams have met a total of 26 times since the 1948 Olympics with the Indians winning 11 matches.
  Argentina manager Blanco Javier said: "It was important for us to start the tournament the best way we can and also to win this match. We tried to play a good game until the rain can. It was our first game and I am happy we won it."
  India head coach Sjoerd Marijne said: "For the first match in the tournament against Olympic champions Argentina I think we did really well. 
  "There is off course disappointment in defeat, but we did a lot of good things and there will not be changes against England in our next match (Sunday)."
  In another match, Australia hammered England 4-1 with goals from Dylan Wotherspoon (15th), Blake Govers (19th), Aaron Kleinschmidt (28th) and Lachlan Sharp (39th) while Phil Roper scored for England in the 25th minute.
   RESULTS: Australia 4 England 1, India 2 Argentina 3, Malaysia 4 Ireland 1.
  SUNDAY: India v England (4pm), Ireland v Argentina (6pm), Malaysia v Australia (8.30pm).


STANDINGS
                  P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
MALAYSIA          1  1  0  0  4  1  3
AUSTRALIA         1  1  0  0  4  1  3
ARGENTINA         1  1  0  0  3  2  3
ENGLAND           1  0  0  1  1  4  0
INDIA             1  0  0  1  2  3  0
IRELAND           1  0  0  1  1  4  0

Azlan Shah Cup: India 2 Argentina 3

World No 1 penalty corner flicker Gonzalo Peillat led Argentina with a hat-trick (13th, 24th, 33rd) to beat India 3-2.
  India's goals also came off penalty corners, with Amit Rohidas (26th, 31st) scoring a brace.

In another match, World No 1 Australia hammered England 4-1 with goal from Dylan Wotherspoon (15th), Blake Govers (19th), Aaron Kleinschmidt (28th) and Lachlan Sharp (39th) while Phil Roper scored for England in the 25th minute.
   RESULTS: Australia 4 England 1, India 2 Argentina 3, Malaysia x Ireland x.

Police win shoot-out...

KUALA LUMPUR: Blue Warriors beat PKS-UniTen-KPT 3-1 in a shoot-out after both teams ended tied 2-2 in the Vivian May Soars Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil Friday.
  Both the UniTen goals were scored by national players Raja Norsharina Raja Shabuddin (seventh) and Fatin Shafika Sukri (44th).
  But Blue Warriors came back into the picture with a late goal by  former India skipper Ritu Rani in the 56th minute, while Siti Zulaikha nailed a 60th minute equaliser to take the match into shoot-out.
  UniTen had won the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) League title but national goalkeeper Farah Ayuni snatched the other title for Blue Warriors with superb saves in the shoot-out.
  Blue Warriors coach Zulkhairi Ariffin said: "It was a real heart-stopper as we had to defend for at least 55 minutes before we could score both the goals.
  "But in the end, it is a great day for Police (Blue Warriors) as we managed to snatch one title from UniTen. Hiring guest players from India also paid off handsomely," said Zulkhairi.
  As for UniTen coach Lailin Abu Hassan, the moment it went to a shoot-out he knew the outcome,
  "Blue Warriors have the best goalkeeper in the country and when it went to shoot-out I knew the outcome.
  "But still, I am proud of my girls achievements because last season we did not win any title and did not even play in the final.
  "There is vast improvement this season, and I believe we will only return stronger next year," said Lailin, a former national player.
  In the bronze medal, Terengganu Ladies hammered the daylights out of KL Wipers with a 10-0 score.
  The goals were scored by Siti Rahmah Othman (third), Fazillah Sylvester Silin (fifth), Nur Hidayah Ismail (21st, 58th), Siti Noor Amarina (30th), 
Norazlin Sumantri (33rd, 34th), Pahila Judith Larissa (50th), Nur Syuhada Suhaimi (59th), Nur Syafiqah Zain (60th).
  RESULTS: Vivian May Soars Cup: Final -- PKS-UniTen-KPT 2 Blue Warriors 2 (Blue Warriors win shoot-out 3-1).
  Third-Fourth: KL Wipers 0 Terengganu Ladies 10.

Women's Asian Champions Trophy

Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 13 to 20 May 2018 - Donghae City, Korea

  POOL 
China 
Korea
India 
Japan 
Malaysia 

Day 1: Sunday, 13 May 2018 M01 14:30 Pool India v Japan M02 16:30 Pool Korea v Malaysia 
Day 2: Monday, 14 May 2018 M03 14:30 Pool China v Malaysia M04 16:30 Pool Korea v Japan 
Day 3: Tuesday, 15 May 2018 – Rest Day 
Day 4: Wednesday, 16 May 2018 M05 14:30 Pool Japan v Malaysia M06 16:30 Pool India v China 
Day 5: Thursday, 17 May 2018 M07 14:30 Pool Malaysia v India M08 16:30 Pool Korea v China 
Day 6: Friday, 18 May 2018 – Rest Day
Day 7: Saturday, 19 May 2018 M09 13:00 Pool China v Japan M10 15:00 Pool India v Korea 
Day 8: Sunday, 20 May 2018 M11 12:45 3/4th Place 3 rd in Pool v 4 th in Pool M12 15:00 Final 1 st in Pool v 2 nd in Pool.

AZLAN SHAH CUP: Malaysia wary of Stout Irish...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will meet Ireland in the curtain raiser of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh Saturday, and coach Stephen van Huizen does not want an Antwerp repeat.
  Back in 2015, Malaysia had beaten Ireland 4-2 in the group stages of the World League semifinals in Belgium, but when it mattered most, they lost 4-1 in the Fifth-Sixth Classification match and the Irish qualified for their first hockey Olympics since 1908. 
  The other teams in Ipoh are Olympic champions Argentina, World Cup holders Australia, Asia Cup champions India and England.
   Van Huizen, 60, still remembers the agony of missing the Rio de Janeiro Olympics by a whisker.
  And three years later, they meet again in Ipoh.
  "We beat them in the group stage, but lost the crucial classification match and since then, Ireland has grown much stronger and are ranked 10th in the World," said van Huizen.
  Malaysia last played in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
  "Ireland also won bronze in the EuroHockey Championships (in 2015 by shocking England), but then, I have told my players not to focus on their achievements, but look at our own strengths.
  "Both Malaysia and Ireland are in a team-building stage for many tournaments this year. We hope to not only gain a good result, but a good experience as well from this match."
  SATURDAY: Argentina v India (4pm), Australia v England (6pm), Malaysia v Ireland (8.30pm).
  Note: All matches at Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.

MWHL: UniTen looking for double strike

KUALA LUMPUR: PKS-UniTen-KPT wil be gunning for a double on Friday, when they face Blue Warriors in the Vivian May Soars Cup.
  UniTen had won the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) League title earlier, and coach Lailin Abu Hassan said they are ready for their second title.
  However, Lailin knows it will not be easy as both the teams ended their League campaign on 30 points, and UniTen only grabbed the League title on goals' scored.
  Both the teams also drew 1-1 and then 2-2 in the two-leg League, indicating that the final will be an explosive one.
  "Yes, we did set a target of winning two titles this season. We have achieved one, and I have told my players to double their efforts to claim the other title as well," said Lailin, a former national player.
  "Blue Warriors have a never-say-die attitude which I witnessed in their semi-finals (against Terengganu Ladies Hockey Team)."
  In the semis, Blue Warriots beat THT 1-0, while UniTen hammered KL Wipers 11-2.
  "I have spoken to my players to keep their feet on the ground, and forget about the big semi-finals win. This is because in a final, the team with desire and not history wins the title."
  FRIDAY: Vivian May Soars Cup Final -- PKS Uniten-KPT v Blue Warriors (National Stadium, Pitch II 6.30pm).
  Third-Fourth: KL Wipers v TLHT (National Stadium, Pitch II 4pm).