KUANTAN turned out to be a forlorn and bruising experience for teams and coaches playing in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League over the weekend.
For starters, the stands at the Kuantan Stadium were empty, except for players and match officials, as the fans gave it a wide berth.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) took the Premier Division to states for the second season, and only Penang has seen a good fan turn-out both times.
Ipoh and Kuantan only attracted a handful of die-hard fans, and it did not serve the purpose of taking top-level hockey to the states.
And the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, slated to play host in the middle of February, received a knock-out blow as thieves carted away fuse boxes to the stadium lights. The matches will noe be held at the Tun Razak Stadium instead.
The weekend also saw Tenaga Nasional and Malaysia's No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar fracturing his ribs, after taking a powerful reverse stick shot in the chest from Izzat Rahim of Sapura.
Tenaga not only lost the match 2-0 to further drop into the abyss, but also their best goalkeeper.
"It was an unfortunate incident, as the ball hit Kumar where he was not protected by hs gear. He will be out for at least three weeks, and now we have to rely on our second goalkeeper (Fairus Wanazir)," said Tenaga coach Nor Saiful Zaini.
But Kumar is made of sturdier stuff, and can't wait to get back into the thick of action.
"I tried to avoid the ball as it came directly to just below my neck where I have no proctetion. But it hit me square and I suffered a hair-line fracture on one of my ribs.
"It hurts, but I feel I can still play and if the coach gives me a chance, I will be back in no time to help my club," said Kumar who was awarded the Best Goalkeeper in Asia by the Asian Hockey Federation two weeks ago.
There was another casualty in Kuantan, as Armed Forces-Airod shook hands with their coach K. Rajan and parted ways after their match against Yayasan Negri sembilan on Saturday.
"The Forces management felt that the team underperformed after eight matches, and told me that they no longer needed my services.
"I have no qualms with them, but I feel we have done reasonally well considering that we have no national or foreign palyers but still managed to win six points just like seasoned MHL team Maybank," said Rajan who coaches the 2009 Junior World Cup team to 12th among 20 nations.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces Juniors extended their lead to seven points when they hammered Universiti Sains Malaysia 5-1 in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
DIVISION ONE: Sunday -- Ipoh City Council 2 Bukit Jalil Sports School 1, Bandar Penawar Sports School v Malacca CC (rained off), Armed Forces Juniors 5 Universiti Sains Malaysia 1.
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
ATM JNR 7 6 1 0 20 4 19
BJSS 7 4 0 3 15 8 12
BPSS 6 4 0 2 12 10 12
IPOH CH 8 3 2 3 14 16 11
MALACCA CC 7 3 0 4 10 9 9
USM 7 2 0 5 9 22 6
UNITEN 6 0 1 5 3 14 1
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Another Stahr-ry nite for UniKL
PHILIPP Stahr shone like a beacon to guide UniKL
to a last-minute victory against Maybank in the
Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at
the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
The highly charged match, which saw six yellow
cards being flashed, was heading towards a 1-1
draw but a last minute penalty corner gave full
points to the university side.
UniKL's German import Kevin Lim gave them the
lead with a 39th minute penalty corner but
39-year-old former international Chairil Anwar
equalised for Maybank with a 55th minute field goal.
The match turned robust after that, and six five
were flashed the yellow card to cool down the
situation.
From Maybank, K. Gobinathan (35th), Riduan
Nasir (66th) and Hairul Nizam (41st) were flashed
the yellow, as for UniKL, Khairil Anuar saw yellow
twice (in the 47th and 59th minutes) while Syamin
Yusof was sent out in the (59th).
And just when Maybank were ready to celebrate
their hard-fough draw, UniKL won a penalty corner
in the 70th minute and Stahr flicked in the winner.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan attributed his team's
erratic form to injuries, and inexperienced juniors.
"I am not making excuses forour worst season in
a decade, but we have been bogged down by a
string of injuries, six players to be precise, and have
also fielded five juniors who lack match
experience," said Wallace.
Among those injured are Maybank's only national
player Hafifi Hafiz: "The young players made some
basic mistakes which led to goals being scored
against us. But I am still giving them maximum
time, because I am looking at the next season,
where hopefully they will become more confident."
Tenaga Nasional bounced back from a 2-0 defeat
to Sapura on Friday to hammer Nur Insafi 5-2.
Amin Rahim, the best flicker in the country,
delivered a hat-trick in the 25th, 47th and 55th
minutes, while the other goals were scored by
Faizal Saari (58th, 67th).
However, TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini was far
from satisfied with their campaign so far.
"We are too far back to chase the leaders (KLHC)
and our mission now is to finish second and avoid
KLHC in the quarter-finals draw.
"I am happy with today (yesterday) but we lost
out against Sapura, UniKL and YNS. And in the last
two matches we had 12 penalty corners but failed
to score a single goal, even though we have the
best flicker in the country.
"It looks like winning the Leaue title is out of our
hands, and we must plan for the TNB Cup from
now," said Saiful, a former national skipper.
In another match, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club
(KLHC) rested many key players against UITM, but
still won 6-1 with ease to strenghten their grip at
the top of the standings.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 10 8 1 1 47 15 25
YNS 10 7 0 3 35 22 21
UNIKL-TRC 10 6 2 2 18 14 20
TNB 10 6 1 3 21 12 19
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 10 4 1 5 18 30 13
MAYBANK 9 1 3 5 7 14 6
ATM-AIROD 10 2 0 8 10 32 6
UITM 10 1 0 9 14 39 3
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: RESULTS: Maybank 1 UniKL 2,
Tenaga Nasional 5 Nur Insafi 2, Kuala Lumpur
Hockey Club 6 UiTM 1, Yayasan Negri Sembilan 3
Armed Forces-Airod 1.
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).
to a last-minute victory against Maybank in the
Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League at
the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
The highly charged match, which saw six yellow
cards being flashed, was heading towards a 1-1
draw but a last minute penalty corner gave full
points to the university side.
UniKL's German import Kevin Lim gave them the
lead with a 39th minute penalty corner but
39-year-old former international Chairil Anwar
equalised for Maybank with a 55th minute field goal.
The match turned robust after that, and six five
were flashed the yellow card to cool down the
situation.
From Maybank, K. Gobinathan (35th), Riduan
Nasir (66th) and Hairul Nizam (41st) were flashed
the yellow, as for UniKL, Khairil Anuar saw yellow
twice (in the 47th and 59th minutes) while Syamin
Yusof was sent out in the (59th).
And just when Maybank were ready to celebrate
their hard-fough draw, UniKL won a penalty corner
in the 70th minute and Stahr flicked in the winner.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan attributed his team's
erratic form to injuries, and inexperienced juniors.
"I am not making excuses forour worst season in
a decade, but we have been bogged down by a
string of injuries, six players to be precise, and have
also fielded five juniors who lack match
experience," said Wallace.
Among those injured are Maybank's only national
player Hafifi Hafiz: "The young players made some
basic mistakes which led to goals being scored
against us. But I am still giving them maximum
time, because I am looking at the next season,
where hopefully they will become more confident."
Tenaga Nasional bounced back from a 2-0 defeat
to Sapura on Friday to hammer Nur Insafi 5-2.
Amin Rahim, the best flicker in the country,
delivered a hat-trick in the 25th, 47th and 55th
minutes, while the other goals were scored by
Faizal Saari (58th, 67th).
However, TNB coach Nor Saiful Zaini was far
from satisfied with their campaign so far.
"We are too far back to chase the leaders (KLHC)
and our mission now is to finish second and avoid
KLHC in the quarter-finals draw.
"I am happy with today (yesterday) but we lost
out against Sapura, UniKL and YNS. And in the last
two matches we had 12 penalty corners but failed
to score a single goal, even though we have the
best flicker in the country.
"It looks like winning the Leaue title is out of our
hands, and we must plan for the TNB Cup from
now," said Saiful, a former national skipper.
In another match, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club
(KLHC) rested many key players against UITM, but
still won 6-1 with ease to strenghten their grip at
the top of the standings.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 10 8 1 1 47 15 25
YNS 10 7 0 3 35 22 21
UNIKL-TRC 10 6 2 2 18 14 20
TNB 10 6 1 3 21 12 19
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 10 4 1 5 18 30 13
MAYBANK 9 1 3 5 7 14 6
ATM-AIROD 10 2 0 8 10 32 6
UITM 10 1 0 9 14 39 3
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: RESULTS: Maybank 1 UniKL 2,
Tenaga Nasional 5 Nur Insafi 2, Kuala Lumpur
Hockey Club 6 UiTM 1, Yayasan Negri Sembilan 3
Armed Forces-Airod 1.
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).
Friday, January 28, 2011
KLHC break free
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) survived by the
skin-of-their-teeth to start their breakaway journey
in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey
League at the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
KLHC took a 2-0 lead, but they allowed UniKL to
crawl back into the match but eventually won 3-2 to
take a five point lead midway in the League.
And in another match, Sapura indicated that they
have reached a turning point when they beat
Tenaga Nasional 2-0.
However, KLHC look set to consolidate their lead
when they play bottom-of-the-table whipping boys
UITM today at the same venue.
"We almost paid the price for being complacent
after taking a 2-0 lead. It almost turned out to be a
disaster as we allowed UniKL to draw level but I am
happy that we walked away with three points in
this crucial encounter," said KLHC coach K.
Dharmaraj.
KLHC took the lead off Mohamed Noor Faeez off a
field attempt in the fourth minute, but were made to
struggle until the 32nd minute before increasing the
lead off Baljit Singh's penalty corner attempt.
However, UniKL fought back with goals from
Ramadan Rosli in the 51st minute, and Syamim
Yusof in the 59th minute.
Razie Rahim, a national penalty corner flicker,
saved the day for KLHC when he flicked in a crucial
goal in the 66th minute.
Sapura, who were struggling initially in the
League, found their footing against Charity Shield
holders Tenaga Nasional but coach I. Vickneswaran
is not ready to read too much into this game.
"Yes, we started off in a stutter and are now on an
upward trend, but KLHC are too far ahead to chase.
"We will continue playing our game and not be too
focussed on chasing the leaders at this stage.
"Hopefully, the good vibes will continue, and we
will see where it leads," said Vickneswaran.
Sapura dominated the match but could only open
scoring in the 57th minute of Izwan Firdaus' field
attempt, while Rodhanizam Radzi slammed in the
second in the 60th minute.
Tenaga looked like they lost their script as
national player, and a crucial keg in defense, Madzli
Ikmar had to give the match a miss as his wife went
into labour yesterday.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 9 7 1 1 41 14 22
YNS 9 6 0 3 32 21 18
UNIKL-TRC 9 5 2 2 16 13 17
TNB 9 5 1 3 16 10 16
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 9 4 1 4 16 25 13
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: RESULTS: Tenaga Nasional 0
Sapura 2, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 3 UniKL 2,
Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6 Nur Insafi 1, Armed
Forces-Airod x UiTM x.
TOMORROW: (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium):
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).
skin-of-their-teeth to start their breakaway journey
in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey
League at the Kuantan Stadium yesterday.
KLHC took a 2-0 lead, but they allowed UniKL to
crawl back into the match but eventually won 3-2 to
take a five point lead midway in the League.
And in another match, Sapura indicated that they
have reached a turning point when they beat
Tenaga Nasional 2-0.
However, KLHC look set to consolidate their lead
when they play bottom-of-the-table whipping boys
UITM today at the same venue.
"We almost paid the price for being complacent
after taking a 2-0 lead. It almost turned out to be a
disaster as we allowed UniKL to draw level but I am
happy that we walked away with three points in
this crucial encounter," said KLHC coach K.
Dharmaraj.
KLHC took the lead off Mohamed Noor Faeez off a
field attempt in the fourth minute, but were made to
struggle until the 32nd minute before increasing the
lead off Baljit Singh's penalty corner attempt.
However, UniKL fought back with goals from
Ramadan Rosli in the 51st minute, and Syamim
Yusof in the 59th minute.
Razie Rahim, a national penalty corner flicker,
saved the day for KLHC when he flicked in a crucial
goal in the 66th minute.
Sapura, who were struggling initially in the
League, found their footing against Charity Shield
holders Tenaga Nasional but coach I. Vickneswaran
is not ready to read too much into this game.
"Yes, we started off in a stutter and are now on an
upward trend, but KLHC are too far ahead to chase.
"We will continue playing our game and not be too
focussed on chasing the leaders at this stage.
"Hopefully, the good vibes will continue, and we
will see where it leads," said Vickneswaran.
Sapura dominated the match but could only open
scoring in the 57th minute of Izwan Firdaus' field
attempt, while Rodhanizam Radzi slammed in the
second in the 60th minute.
Tenaga looked like they lost their script as
national player, and a crucial keg in defense, Madzli
Ikmar had to give the match a miss as his wife went
into labour yesterday.
STANDINGS
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
KLHC 9 7 1 1 41 14 22
YNS 9 6 0 3 32 21 18
UNIKL-TRC 9 5 2 2 16 13 17
TNB 9 5 1 3 16 10 16
SAPURA 9 5 0 4 27 19 15
NUR INSAFI 9 4 1 4 16 25 13
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: RESULTS: Tenaga Nasional 0
Sapura 2, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 3 UniKL 2,
Yayasan Negri Sembilan 6 Nur Insafi 1, Armed
Forces-Airod x UiTM x.
TOMORROW: (All Matches at the Kuantan Stadium):
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
Heat is on in Kuantan, JB doubtful
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club will be looking for a clean break from the chasing pack when they play UniKL in the Premier Division of the Malaysia hockey League at the Kuantan Stadium today.
KLHC are just two points away from second placed UniKL, and look good to snatch full points judging from the first round 4-0 drubbing they handed the university side.
And the next day, KLHC will play UITM, whom they whipped 1-0 in the first round.
“The League will being its second round journey, and I have told my players to forget the earlier encounters. We did beat UniKL and UITM with healthy margins in the first round, but will not take matters for granted in Kuantan,” said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
KLHC will be fielding their full side after five matches, as Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor has served his five-match suspension for his involvement in a shoving match with Yayasan Negri Sembilan players.
“UniKL have improved much since we beat them, and that us why it is important that my players give their best tomorrow (today) and after that, we will not be looking for goals but just three more points from UITM.
“Nabil will be back after five matches, and our injury list is also clean, as all of them have recovered and will play in Kuantan,” said Dharmaraj.
While KLHC are almost assured of maximum points, third placed Tenaga Nasional will have their hands full against Sapura are could drift further down the standings if they keep up with their erratic form which saw them lost 1-0 to Yayasan Negri Sembilan last weekend in Penang.
Meanwhile the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, which is supposed to host the MHL teams on Feb 18 and 19, have been hit by electrical problems to their floodlights.
The Stadium, which was hosted for the 2009 Junior World Cup, is hardly 18-months old, but switchboards are said to have been stolen.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) will seek answers from the Johor HA during their council meeting in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, and if the problem can’t be fixed, the Johor round will be held at the Tun Razak Stadium instead.
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: Today (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).
Tomorrow: 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).
KLHC are just two points away from second placed UniKL, and look good to snatch full points judging from the first round 4-0 drubbing they handed the university side.
And the next day, KLHC will play UITM, whom they whipped 1-0 in the first round.
“The League will being its second round journey, and I have told my players to forget the earlier encounters. We did beat UniKL and UITM with healthy margins in the first round, but will not take matters for granted in Kuantan,” said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
KLHC will be fielding their full side after five matches, as Nabil Fiqri Mohd Noor has served his five-match suspension for his involvement in a shoving match with Yayasan Negri Sembilan players.
“UniKL have improved much since we beat them, and that us why it is important that my players give their best tomorrow (today) and after that, we will not be looking for goals but just three more points from UITM.
“Nabil will be back after five matches, and our injury list is also clean, as all of them have recovered and will play in Kuantan,” said Dharmaraj.
While KLHC are almost assured of maximum points, third placed Tenaga Nasional will have their hands full against Sapura are could drift further down the standings if they keep up with their erratic form which saw them lost 1-0 to Yayasan Negri Sembilan last weekend in Penang.
Meanwhile the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru, which is supposed to host the MHL teams on Feb 18 and 19, have been hit by electrical problems to their floodlights.
The Stadium, which was hosted for the 2009 Junior World Cup, is hardly 18-months old, but switchboards are said to have been stolen.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) will seek answers from the Johor HA during their council meeting in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, and if the problem can’t be fixed, the Johor round will be held at the Tun Razak Stadium instead.
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: Today (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).
Tomorrow: 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).
As erratic as it can get
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).
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).
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