THE Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division teams are so erratic, that it is hard to predict the champion even at its half-way stage.
Even seasoned MHL coach K. Rajan, formerly with the Tenaga Nasional outfit, is confused as outstation matches in Ipoh and Penang has produced some stunning upsets.
Rajan, now coaching Armed Forces-Airod, feels they still have a chance of playing in the quarter-finals, even though they are second from the bottom after eight matches.
“I was a little surprised with Maybank when they held leaders KLHC (Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club) to a 2-2 draw, but then lost to my team (1-0) the next day.
“When they matches were held in Kuala Lumpur, the results were easily predictable, but the change in venues has seen some teams struggling to cope.
“But in the same breath, I can see some drastic changes in my players after they played eight matches. There is more confidence in them, and I hope the win against Maybank will change our fortunes in the second round,” said Rajan.
The first weekend of the second round will be played in Kuantan, and teams who can’t adapt to the artificial pitch there are going to collapse again.
The top-six teams in Premier Division, and the top two teams in Division One will play in the quarter-finals.
“Ending fifth or sixth is still within our reach, and that will be our target from now,” said Rajan.
As for the overall standard of the League the established coach said: “Same old faces are playing for their clubs, but there is some fresh talent rising from the ranks of the Project 2013 players. Otherwise, our future generation of players are getting their exposure in Division One.”
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1
PREMIER DIVISION: Friday (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Saturday: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
AHF, Kumar invincible to parent bodies
COMMENT
By Jugjet Singh
THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) does not give a hoot about the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), and likewise the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) harbours the same feeling for award winning goalkeeper S. Kumar.
There seems to be a total lack of communication between Asia and the parent body, as even the election of AHF office bearers on Jan 15 has failed to surface on www.fihockey.org to date.
In fact, even on the AHF website, www.asiahockey.org, there is only a passing mention of the elections, while a check of the ‘Office Bearers’ icon on the website still has the names of the old council.
So much for trying to promote hockey among the masses.
Kumar’s story is another bungle which can only be described as “shameful”.
The keeper was named he Best Player in Asia during the AHF Congress and received his award with much pomp and pageantry, but he is a little confused about the lack of information, and the silence of MHF and his home state Negri Sembilan.
Firstly, he did not know he had won the award but when informed by journalists a day earlier, he was completely bewildered and thanked the journalists because he was about to head home to Tampin as there was a break for his team in the Malaysia Hockey League.
And after collecting his award, Kumarnever so much as received an SMS or a call from anybody in MHF. Even Negri Sembilan hockey officials did not bother to congratulate him.
Kumar, a product of Tunku Besar Secondary School in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, is among the best goalkeepers in the world and his uncompromising work between the posts has many a time saved Malaysia the blushes.
He has also been named as an Asian All-Star Player, together with teammates Razie Rahim and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, which is another feather in his cap.
The official information highway on the worldwide web is also silent on the tournaments being played in Malaysia and Asia as, even the recent Asian Games results could not be found on the AHF site.
MHF also does not have a vehicle to publish results on the ongoing Malaysia Hockey League and those who are hungry for information have to rely on an unofficial site (www.tnbmhl.com.my), and a blog.
Asia were robbed blind when FIH gave Oceania, who only have Australia and New Zealand as serious hockey nations, two spots in the Olympics, while Asia was only given one in the Asian Games even though South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan and China are die-hard supporters of the sport and are credibly ranked in the world.
So, it is plain for even the blind to see that AHF and its members’ contribution is second class in the eyes of the FIH, and Kumar is also a non-entity for his parent-body.
By Jugjet Singh
THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) does not give a hoot about the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), and likewise the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) harbours the same feeling for award winning goalkeeper S. Kumar.
There seems to be a total lack of communication between Asia and the parent body, as even the election of AHF office bearers on Jan 15 has failed to surface on www.fihockey.org to date.
In fact, even on the AHF website, www.asiahockey.org, there is only a passing mention of the elections, while a check of the ‘Office Bearers’ icon on the website still has the names of the old council.
So much for trying to promote hockey among the masses.
Kumar’s story is another bungle which can only be described as “shameful”.
The keeper was named he Best Player in Asia during the AHF Congress and received his award with much pomp and pageantry, but he is a little confused about the lack of information, and the silence of MHF and his home state Negri Sembilan.
Firstly, he did not know he had won the award but when informed by journalists a day earlier, he was completely bewildered and thanked the journalists because he was about to head home to Tampin as there was a break for his team in the Malaysia Hockey League.
And after collecting his award, Kumarnever so much as received an SMS or a call from anybody in MHF. Even Negri Sembilan hockey officials did not bother to congratulate him.
Kumar, a product of Tunku Besar Secondary School in Tampin, Negri Sembilan, is among the best goalkeepers in the world and his uncompromising work between the posts has many a time saved Malaysia the blushes.
He has also been named as an Asian All-Star Player, together with teammates Razie Rahim and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, which is another feather in his cap.
The official information highway on the worldwide web is also silent on the tournaments being played in Malaysia and Asia as, even the recent Asian Games results could not be found on the AHF site.
MHF also does not have a vehicle to publish results on the ongoing Malaysia Hockey League and those who are hungry for information have to rely on an unofficial site (www.tnbmhl.com.my), and a blog.
Asia were robbed blind when FIH gave Oceania, who only have Australia and New Zealand as serious hockey nations, two spots in the Olympics, while Asia was only given one in the Asian Games even though South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan and China are die-hard supporters of the sport and are credibly ranked in the world.
So, it is plain for even the blind to see that AHF and its members’ contribution is second class in the eyes of the FIH, and Kumar is also a non-entity for his parent-body.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
BJSS recover from hangover
BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) made a remarkable recovery when they whipped Bandar Penawar Sports School 4-1 in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League yes terday.
Both the Sports Schools had played on Friday, but BJSS were beaten 2-0 by BPSS in Kuala Lumpur, but the return match in Bandar Penawar was a total opposite.
And with league leaders Armed Forces Juniors dropping two points against Ipoh City Council in a 0-0 encounter, BJSS and BPSS have a better chance of playing catch-up in the return leg matches.
Faridzul Afiq scored in the first minute itself to rattle BPSS, and Dangerous Lee made it 2-0 with a 28th minute penalty corner attempt.
Shahril Saabah injected some hope into the BPSS game when he narrowed the gap with a 32nd minute field goal, but Dangerous made it 3-1 in the 37th minute while Farid Zuki scored in the 59th minute to give BJSS a comfortable win.
BJSS coach S. Prakash, who had benched five of his players for disciplinary problems, attributed the win to mental strength.
“The suspended players were fielded on Friday but we still lost 2-0 to BJSS because my players gave them too much of respect.
“I have been motivating the boys since, and today (yes terday) they played to their true potential, and I attribute the win to their mental strength,” said Prakash.
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Rahman was amazed with the transformation of his rivals.
“This was a totally different side from the one which we played on Friday. They were very confident with the ball, and the first minute goal also played a big part in our defeat,” said Roslan.
STANDINGS
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1
DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Armed Forces Juniors 0 Ipoh CH 0, Bandar Penawar Sports 1 Bukit Jalil Sports School 4, Malacca CC 2 UniTen 1.
PREMIER DIVISION: Friday (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Saturday: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
Both the Sports Schools had played on Friday, but BJSS were beaten 2-0 by BPSS in Kuala Lumpur, but the return match in Bandar Penawar was a total opposite.
And with league leaders Armed Forces Juniors dropping two points against Ipoh City Council in a 0-0 encounter, BJSS and BPSS have a better chance of playing catch-up in the return leg matches.
Faridzul Afiq scored in the first minute itself to rattle BPSS, and Dangerous Lee made it 2-0 with a 28th minute penalty corner attempt.
Shahril Saabah injected some hope into the BPSS game when he narrowed the gap with a 32nd minute field goal, but Dangerous made it 3-1 in the 37th minute while Farid Zuki scored in the 59th minute to give BJSS a comfortable win.
BJSS coach S. Prakash, who had benched five of his players for disciplinary problems, attributed the win to mental strength.
“The suspended players were fielded on Friday but we still lost 2-0 to BJSS because my players gave them too much of respect.
“I have been motivating the boys since, and today (yes terday) they played to their true potential, and I attribute the win to their mental strength,” said Prakash.
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Rahman was amazed with the transformation of his rivals.
“This was a totally different side from the one which we played on Friday. They were very confident with the ball, and the first minute goal also played a big part in our defeat,” said Roslan.
STANDINGS
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 6 5 1 0 15 3 16
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
BJSS 6 4 0 2 14 6 12
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
IPOH CH 7 2 2 3 12 15 8
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1
DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Armed Forces Juniors 0 Ipoh CH 0, Bandar Penawar Sports 1 Bukit Jalil Sports School 4, Malacca CC 2 UniTen 1.
PREMIER DIVISION: Friday (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (3.30pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UniKL (5.51pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Nur Insafi (7pm), Armed Forces-Airod v UiTM (8.45pm).
Saturday: Maybank v UniKL (3pm), Tenaga Nasional v Nur Insafi (4.45pm), Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v UiTM (6.30pm), Yayasan Negri Sembilan v Armed Forces-Airod (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v Universiti Sains Malaysia (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
Saturday, January 22, 2011
YNS zap Tenaga 1-0
By K. Kandiah
nstsport@nstp.com.my
YAYASAN Negri Sembilan (YNS) shocked Charity Shield holders Tenaga Nasional with a solitary goal in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the USM Stadium in Penang yesterday.
YNS, who were whipped 6-1 by Sapura on Friday, were not the only ones celebrating the victory, as table-toppers Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) also had a million reasons to smile.
KLHC were held to a 2-2 draw by Maybank on Friday, but the TNB defeat consolidated their grip in Premier Division again.
And the toast for YNS was their Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi who was in his element, and masterminded the 48th minute attack, for Prabhjot Singh to tuck in the winner.
Shakeel initiated the goal after he beat three defenders and took a sizzling shot from the edge of the semi circle which was dutifully stopped by TNB goalkeeper S. Kumar, but the ball trickled away from him and Prabhjot made it count.
TNB were guilty of bungling all their penalty corners as they had five in the first half, and another two after the breather but the country’s best flicker Amin Rahim was run- out before he could lift the ball.
In another match, Sapura came back from being two goals down to beat bottom-of-the-table UiTM.
UiTM, who had lost all seven matches before yesterday, shocked Sapura in the third minute when Izad Hakim scored and and then consolidated their lead in the 18th minute when Faheed Saifullah was on target off a counter attack.
Ahmad Kazamirul initiated the Sapura comeback with a penalty corner goal in the 47th minute and two minutes later Faisal Kamarudin levelled the score after receiving a cross from skipper S. Kuhan.
And Kazamirul stole the thunder again when he converted another penalty corner in the 55th minute to save the blushes for his club.
YNS coach Hasmizan Ah Sim said: “TNB played well and were in control most of the time but we took that rare chance that came our way and defended well for the win.
“After our defeat (6-1 to Sapura), we had a two hour meeting with the players where it was made clear that playing as a unit wins matches and I am happy that the advice was heeded.”
TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini said he was disappointed with his charges, as it was their worst performance since the league started.
“We had the same problem when we lost to UniKL but the match against YNS was the worst to date. I felt my players lost their confidence in this match, and now I believe we are not strong enough to win the League title,” admitted the former skipper.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 5 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 12 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1
PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- TNB 0 YNS 1, Sapura 3 UiTM 2, Maybank 0 ATM-Airod 1, UniKL 1 Nur Insafi 1.
DIVISION ONE: TOMORROW -- Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
nstsport@nstp.com.my
YAYASAN Negri Sembilan (YNS) shocked Charity Shield holders Tenaga Nasional with a solitary goal in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the USM Stadium in Penang yesterday.
YNS, who were whipped 6-1 by Sapura on Friday, were not the only ones celebrating the victory, as table-toppers Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) also had a million reasons to smile.
KLHC were held to a 2-2 draw by Maybank on Friday, but the TNB defeat consolidated their grip in Premier Division again.
And the toast for YNS was their Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi who was in his element, and masterminded the 48th minute attack, for Prabhjot Singh to tuck in the winner.
Shakeel initiated the goal after he beat three defenders and took a sizzling shot from the edge of the semi circle which was dutifully stopped by TNB goalkeeper S. Kumar, but the ball trickled away from him and Prabhjot made it count.
TNB were guilty of bungling all their penalty corners as they had five in the first half, and another two after the breather but the country’s best flicker Amin Rahim was run- out before he could lift the ball.
In another match, Sapura came back from being two goals down to beat bottom-of-the-table UiTM.
UiTM, who had lost all seven matches before yesterday, shocked Sapura in the third minute when Izad Hakim scored and and then consolidated their lead in the 18th minute when Faheed Saifullah was on target off a counter attack.
Ahmad Kazamirul initiated the Sapura comeback with a penalty corner goal in the 47th minute and two minutes later Faisal Kamarudin levelled the score after receiving a cross from skipper S. Kuhan.
And Kazamirul stole the thunder again when he converted another penalty corner in the 55th minute to save the blushes for his club.
YNS coach Hasmizan Ah Sim said: “TNB played well and were in control most of the time but we took that rare chance that came our way and defended well for the win.
“After our defeat (6-1 to Sapura), we had a two hour meeting with the players where it was made clear that playing as a unit wins matches and I am happy that the advice was heeded.”
TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini said he was disappointed with his charges, as it was their worst performance since the league started.
“We had the same problem when we lost to UniKL but the match against YNS was the worst to date. I felt my players lost their confidence in this match, and now I believe we are not strong enough to win the League title,” admitted the former skipper.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
UNIKL-TRC 8 5 2 1 14 10 17
TNB 8 5 1 2 16 8 16
YNS 8 5 0 3 26 20 15
NUR INSAFI 8 4 1 3 15 19 13
SAPURA 8 4 0 4 25 19 12
MAYBANK 8 1 3 4 6 12 6
ATM-AIROD 8 2 0 6 9 27 6
UITM 8 0 0 8 11 33 0
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 5 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 12 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1
PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- TNB 0 YNS 1, Sapura 3 UiTM 2, Maybank 0 ATM-Airod 1, UniKL 1 Nur Insafi 1.
DIVISION ONE: TOMORROW -- Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tigers bite two points off KLHC
By K. Kandiah
nstsport@nstp.com.my
MAYBANK pulled off a stunning upset when they held top- of-the-table Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) to a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Stadium in Minden yesterday.
Before yesterday, the Tigers were seventh in the nine-team tournament, and were not seen as a threat to the star- studded KLHC side.
KLHC took the lead in the ninth minute when Ismail Abu collected a pass from Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and beat Maybank goalkeeper Abdul Hakim Hassan from close range.
However, Maybank drew level in the 25th minute when Hairul Nizam slammed the ball home after a botched penalty corner and five minutes later Maybank took the lead when Ridzuan Nasir collected a loose ball from the right to beat goalkeeper Kairulnizam Ibrahim.
But just before the breather, KLHC won a penalty corner and Razie Rahim’s attempt was blocked and fell in front of Tengku Ahmad who scored the crucial equaliser and the score remained.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan said his charges worked hard for the draw: “It is an important point for us as it indicated that we are getting into our form (as they had only won one match after seven matches). We knew that it was never going to be easy against KLHC but it turned out that we could have got all three points had we taken our chances.”
“Now I am looking forward to the second round next week,” said Wallace, whose side plays Armed Forces today for the last first round match.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj said one point was better than none: “The tournament is just at is at its middle stage, and I am not too worried that we dropped two points.”
Dharma also lamented on the mid-day heat: “It was very hot as the match was played at 3pm. A draw is not the end of the world, at least we got a rude wake-up call.”
In another match, Sapura upset Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6- 1 to record only their third win in the tournament.
Sapura’s goals were scored by Radzhanizam Radzi (40th, 44th, 57th) Redzuan Ponirin (9th), Jiwa Mohan (65th) and Ahmad Kazamirul (67th).
Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi scored the consolation for YNS, who are fielding 11 foreigners in the MHL.
In Division One, Bandar Penawar Sports School hit two goals past Bukit Jalil Sports School with both the goals coming from Shahril Saabah off penalty corners in the 49th amd 69th minutes.
Armed Forces Juniors continued to dominate with a 4-1 win over Ipoh City Council.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
UNIKL-TRC 7 5 1 1 13 9 16
YNS 7 4 0 3 25 20 12
SAPURA 7 3 0 4 22 17 9
NUR INSAFI 7 4 0 3 14 18 12
MAYBANK 7 1 3 3 6 11 6
ATM-AIROD 7 1 0 6 8 27 3
UITM 7 0 0 7 9 30 0
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 6 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 13 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1
PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- Maybank 2 KLHC 2, Sapura 6 YSN 1, UniKL 4 ATM-Airod 0, Nur Insafi 2 UiTM 1.
TODAY - (all matches at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hockey Stadium in Minden) Today: TNB v YNS (3pm), Sapura v UiTM (4.45pm), Maybank v ATM-Airod (6.30pm), UniKL v Nur Insafi (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Ipoh CC 1 Armed Forces Juniors 4, Bukit Jalil Sports School 0 Bandar Penawar Sports School 2, UniTen 0 Malacca CC 3.
TOMORROW: Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
nstsport@nstp.com.my
MAYBANK pulled off a stunning upset when they held top- of-the-table Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) to a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Stadium in Minden yesterday.
Before yesterday, the Tigers were seventh in the nine-team tournament, and were not seen as a threat to the star- studded KLHC side.
KLHC took the lead in the ninth minute when Ismail Abu collected a pass from Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and beat Maybank goalkeeper Abdul Hakim Hassan from close range.
However, Maybank drew level in the 25th minute when Hairul Nizam slammed the ball home after a botched penalty corner and five minutes later Maybank took the lead when Ridzuan Nasir collected a loose ball from the right to beat goalkeeper Kairulnizam Ibrahim.
But just before the breather, KLHC won a penalty corner and Razie Rahim’s attempt was blocked and fell in front of Tengku Ahmad who scored the crucial equaliser and the score remained.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan said his charges worked hard for the draw: “It is an important point for us as it indicated that we are getting into our form (as they had only won one match after seven matches). We knew that it was never going to be easy against KLHC but it turned out that we could have got all three points had we taken our chances.”
“Now I am looking forward to the second round next week,” said Wallace, whose side plays Armed Forces today for the last first round match.
KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj said one point was better than none: “The tournament is just at is at its middle stage, and I am not too worried that we dropped two points.”
Dharma also lamented on the mid-day heat: “It was very hot as the match was played at 3pm. A draw is not the end of the world, at least we got a rude wake-up call.”
In another match, Sapura upset Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6- 1 to record only their third win in the tournament.
Sapura’s goals were scored by Radzhanizam Radzi (40th, 44th, 57th) Redzuan Ponirin (9th), Jiwa Mohan (65th) and Ahmad Kazamirul (67th).
Pakistan import Shakeel Abbasi scored the consolation for YNS, who are fielding 11 foreigners in the MHL.
In Division One, Bandar Penawar Sports School hit two goals past Bukit Jalil Sports School with both the goals coming from Shahril Saabah off penalty corners in the 49th amd 69th minutes.
Armed Forces Juniors continued to dominate with a 4-1 win over Ipoh City Council.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 8 6 1 1 38 12 19
TNB 7 5 1 1 16 7 16
UNIKL-TRC 7 5 1 1 13 9 16
YNS 7 4 0 3 25 20 12
SAPURA 7 3 0 4 22 17 9
NUR INSAFI 7 4 0 3 14 18 12
MAYBANK 7 1 3 3 6 11 6
ATM-AIROD 7 1 0 6 8 27 3
UITM 7 0 0 7 9 30 0
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 5 5 0 0 15 3 15
BPSS 5 4 0 1 11 6 12
BJSS 5 3 0 2 10 6 9
IPOH CH 6 2 1 3 13 15 7
MALACCA CC 6 2 0 4 8 8 6
USM 6 2 0 4 8 17 6
UNITEN 5 0 1 4 2 12 1
PREMIER DIVISION: RESULTS -- Maybank 2 KLHC 2, Sapura 6 YSN 1, UniKL 4 ATM-Airod 0, Nur Insafi 2 UiTM 1.
TODAY - (all matches at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hockey Stadium in Minden) Today: TNB v YNS (3pm), Sapura v UiTM (4.45pm), Maybank v ATM-Airod (6.30pm), UniKL v Nur Insafi (8.15pm).
DIVISION ONE: RESULTS -- Ipoh CC 1 Armed Forces Juniors 4, Bukit Jalil Sports School 0 Bandar Penawar Sports School 2, UniTen 0 Malacca CC 3.
TOMORROW: Armed Forces Juniors v Ipoh CC (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), Bandar Penawar Sports School v Bukit Jalil Sports School (Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Armed Forces Juniors v USM (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm).
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