Asian Wild Card for Juniors

THE National Juniors received a wild card to play in the Third Asian Champion Clubs Cup on Nov 13-16th at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium.
Initially, the tournament was supposed to be a five-team affair, with Malaysia being represented by Ernst & Young, but the Juniors were roped in to make it more exciting.
In Group A are Ernst & Young, National Juniors and, Royal Thai Airforce, while in Group B are Olympian Village Club of Pakistan, Singapore Recreation Club and Adijon of Uzbek istan.
The tournament is being revived by the Asian Hockey Federation (AFH) after a 15-year lapse, and the champions will play in the World Club Championships in Barcelona in January.
But if the National Juniors win, they will not be eligible to play in Barcelona. The Juniors are currently in training for the 2009 Junior World Cup which Malaysia and Singapore will co-host in June next year.
The Champion Clubs Cup clashes with MHL, and so the local league will be extended by 10 days.
FIXTURES -- Nov 13: Ernst & Young v National Juniors (5pm), Olympian Village Club v Adijon (7pm).
Nov 14: Royal Thai Airforce v National Juniors (5pm), Singapore Recreation Club v Olympian Village Club (7pm).
Nov 15: Ernst & Young v Royal Thai Airforce (5pm), Singapore Recreation Club v Adijon (7pm).
Nov 16: Final -- 5pm; Third-Fourth: 3pm.

Ernst & Young ahead by seven

ERNST & YOUNG edged Tenaga Nasional 3-2 to pull clear by seven points in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League.
The match was an exciting affair, with Tenaga scoring first to send their fans into wild celebrations, but Tenaga fans turned unruly and hurled water bottles into the pitch when the final whistle blew, as they felt the umpires robbed them of a draw.
Tenaga scored off Fairuz Ramli in the fifth minute, but Baljit Singh scored the equaliser in the 19th minute. Ernst & Young started playing better after drawing level, and took the lead in the 42nd minute when Ismail Abu was on target.
Tenaga drew level in the 53rd minute off an Amin Rahim penalty corner effort, but the Ernst & Young winner was delivered by Sukri Abdul Jalil in the 58th minute.
And Tenaga had a golden opportunity to steal one point when they received a penalty corner with minutes left, but Amin’s push was deflected out by a defender, and the fans cried for the umpires blood as they felt the ball hit the defenders foot, and a penalty stroke should have been awarded.
Tenaga coach Lailin Abu Hassan had a heated talk with the umpires, but when asked what happened, he declined to comment.
“I will not comment on the umpires decision, but overall, the match was exciting, and we could have snatched a point and kept in contention for the return leg,” said Lailin.
Ernst & Young coach K. Dharmaraj was relieved as his team took a comfortable cushion into the return leg.
“We now have a good chance of retaining our league title, and even though we were lucky to win today (yesterday), still, the pressure will be less when we resume MHL play after we compete in the Asian Champion Clubs tournament (Nov 13- 16).”
The surprise package of the day were the National Juniors, who held Sapura 4-4.
RESULTS: Division One: Tenaga Nasional 2 Ernst & Young 3, National Juniors 4 Sapura 4, Maybank 5 Nur Insafi 2.
Division Two: Bukit Jalil 2 Border Forces Club 0, Bandar Penawar 5 Royal Malay Regiment 6, UNIMAP 1 Dolphins 5.
SUNDAY: Division One -- National Juniors v Tenaga Na sional (National Stadium I, 5pm), Nur Insafi v Ernst & Young (USM Stadium, 5pm), Sapura v Maybank (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).
Division Two: Alam Shah v Malay Regiment (National Stadium II, 5pm), Bukit Jalil Sports School v JLJ (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Border Forces Club (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), UiTM v UNIMAP (Pan damaran Stadium, 5pm).


DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
Ernst & Young 5 5 0 0 23 3 15
Sapura 5 2 2 1 13 10 8
Tenaga 5 2 2 1 11 9 8
Maybank 5 2 1 2 11 9 7
Nat Juniors 5 1 1 3 9 18 4
Nur Insafi 5 0 0 5 7 25 0

DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
RAMD 5 4 0 1 19 10 12
JLJ 4 3 0 1 9 5 9
Dolphins 5 2 2 1 20 9 8
UiTM 3 2 1 0 12 4 7
Bukit Jalil 4 2 1 1 6 2 7
Bandar Penawar 4 2 0 2 15 9 6
Alam Shah 4 1 1 2 9 10 4
UNIMAP 4 0 1 3 2 18 1
Border Forces 5 0 0 5 6 31 0

Maybank banking on six points

MAYBANK will be in a fight to remain among the top three in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) this weekend.
After a promising start by their five national juniors, fourth-placed Maybank will find the going tough with three players injured.
“Two national juniors, Hang Edzhar and Shaheeb Shah, as well as key player Nor Ikram picked up injuries last weekend and will be out for at least two matches. Their absence will make our encounters against Nur Insafi and Sapura much tougher,” said Maybank coach S. Velappan.
“We need six points to remain among the top three when the return legs start.”
The coach also lamented that his five national juniors started off well but returned out-of-shape after the 10-day festival break.
The National Juniors are playing as an outfit in the MHL to prepare for the 2009 Junior World Cup, but Maybank have hired five who are not in the squad to beef up their challenge.
“Most of them (juniors) have their basics wrong, and their passes are not sharp which results in many overturns in the run of play. I have been working to improve on this and, hopefully, they will play better this weekend.” said Velappan.
FIXTURES — Today: Division One: Tenaga Nasional v Ernst & Young (KLHA Stadium, 7pm), National Juniors v Sapura (National Stadium, 7pm), Maybank v Nur Insafi (Seremban II, 5pm).
Division Two: Bukit Jalil v Border Forces Club (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar v Royal Malay Regiment (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), UiTM v JLJ (Pandamaran Stadium, 5pm), UNIMAP v Dolphins (Alor star, 5pm).

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
Ernst & Young 4 4 0 0 20 1 12
Tenaga 4 2 2 0 9 6 8
Sapura 4 2 1 1 9 6 7
Maybank 4 1 1 2 6 7 4
Nat Juniors 4 1 0 3 5 14 3
Nur Insafi 4 0 0 4 5 20 0

DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
RAMD 4 3 0 1 13 5 9
JLJ 4 3 0 1 9 5 9
UiTM 3 2 1 0 12 4 7
Bandar Penawar 3 2 0 1 10 3 6
Dolphins 4 1 2 1 15 8 5
Bukit Jalil 3 1 1 1 4 2 4
Alam Shah 4 1 1 2 9 10 4
UNIMAP 3 0 1 2 1 13 1
Border Forces 4 0 0 4 6 29 0

Ernst & Young thump Juniors

THE future of Malaysian hockey received a 7-0 drubbing from the present national squad when the National Juniors crumbled against Ernst & Young in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The Juniors, preparing for the 2009 Junior Worls Cup which Malaysia and Singapore will co-host, played in patches, and bungled three attempts in the first half.
There was some good midfield play from the Juniors, but the forwards looked clueless when on the counter.
Ernst & Young, with almost the entire national team in their fold, scored an early goal which rattled the juniors.
Chua Boon Huat had an easy time scoring the first in the first minute, while a penalty stroke in the 10th minute was tucked in by Baljit Singh.
The third goal was scored by Nabil Fiqri in the 22nd minute, while in the second half, Chua (43rd), Baljit (51st), Ismail Abu (68th) and Nabil (69th) completed the drubbing.
In another Division One match, Maybank held Tenaga Nasional 2-2.
The Maybank goals were scored by Hafifihafiz Hanafi in the seventh and 47th minutes, while Tenaga got their goals off Fairuz Ramli in the 16th minute and Fazreen Eksan in the 50th minute.
"My boys gave too much respect to the seniors in E&Y and that is why their movements were stunted today (yesterday). It was a good hockey leason for them, and I will work to improve on the faults that were glaring in this match," said National Juniors coach K. Rajan.
The juniors complete their first leg fixtures against Sapura on Friday, where they are expected to face another torrid time.
"The team will be better prepared in the return leg, and I believe they will give every team a tougher time," said Rajan.
RESULTS -- Division One -- Tenaga Nasional 2 Maybank 2, Nur Insafi 2 Sapura 5, National Juniors 0 Ernst & Young 7. Division Two: Bukit Jalil SS 0 UiTM 1, Alam Shah School 1 UNIMAP 1, Border Forces Club 2 Dolphins 11, Royal Malay Regiment x JLJD x.
STANDINGS
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
Ernst & Young 4 4 0 0 20 1 12
Tenaga 4 2 2 0 9 6 8
Sapura 4 2 1 1 9 6 7
Maybank 4 1 1 2 6 7 4
National Juniors 4 1 0 3 5 8 3
Nur Insafi 4 0 0 4 5 20 0

DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
JLJD 3 3 0 0 8 3 9
Malay Regiment 3 2 0 1 11 4 6
Bandar Penawar 3 2 0 1 10 3 6
UiTM 3 2 1 0 12 4 7
Dolphins 4 1 2 1 15 8 5
Bukit Jalil 3 1 1 1 4 2 4
Alam Shah 4 1 1 2 29 10 4
UNIMAP 3 0 1 2 1 13 1
Border Forces 4 0 0 4 6 29 0

New man places old ideas on old horses

NEWLY elected Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has set himself lofty targets, failing which he will vacate his seat without a fuss.
Among his targets is to see the 15th ranked national team team to break into the top-ten bracket by the 2012 London Olympics.
“Don’t judge me for who I am, make sure we all succeed to uplift the standard of administration and the sport. And if I can’t achieve what I set out for, don’t nominate me for another term,” was his frank advise to delegates.
Tengku Abdullah then whipped out a piece of paper, on which he had jotted down targets to achieve on the road to London.
“First of all, I will have two committees to advise and help achieve the targets set. One will be a Consultative Committee, and the other a Wawasan Committee.
“And I will appoint without prejudice or bias, those who are passionate, have ideas, and complaints about the current situation. The first member appointed is outgoing president Tan Sri Anwar (Mohd Nor) while the other members will be named at a later date.”
And in the Wawasan group will be former internationals, who had submitted a memorandum to the sports minister on how to elevate the standard of hockey.
“The Wawasan will be a study, a think tank and brain storming committee which will also include former in ternationals and the National Sports Council.”
Next on the list is to turn Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) top clubs into professional outfits.
“We will start with five clubs in the MHL (Malaysia Hockey League) and make them financially strong and have their own facilities. I would also expect them to take under their wings at least 150 juniors to strengthen their base, which in the long run will benefit the country.
“In football, we made the players professionals first, and then the clubs. It did not produce results, so we will do the reverse in hockey,” said Tengku Abdullah.
His plans for the MHL, and Razak Cup will need a concerted effort from states.
“I want to see active leagues in states, and there will be re- branding of the Razak Cup, and an Asean or Asian league to attract the sponsors.
“And as for grassroots, inter-school leagues will be revived and placed on our calendar, as I am looking for hockey to be played regularly at every level.”
There will also be two national teams so that competition will be keener among players, courses on sports man agement and sports science for former internationals at least twice a year to make them true professionals in managing all levels of the sport from the pitch to tournaments.
And his long term goals are to have an MHF complex, a nationwide turf campaign, including schools.
“MHF doesn’t even have a home, always tumpang (renting) so how can we become world class? We will work to have a complex to house our office, hockey pitches, an academy and other facilities.
“And I will work to have at least one turf, grass pitch or cement court in every parliament constituency, as the only way to re-brand the sport and make it into an industry.”
And his parting words were: “We have to believe in ourselves, and if I get the desired support from states, we will achieve most of the targets set.”