Easy wins for sports schools

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) beat their second liners 4-0 in a listless Division Two Malaysia Hockey League encounter at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.

And in Bandar Penawar, Bandar Penawar Sports School beat their juniors 6-2 to remain at the top of the standings.
BJSS lacked direction, and hardly troubled BJSS Juniors for the first 15 minutes, and their two first half penalty corner goals were soft attempts which would not have counted if they had played against another side in the MHL.
The second half was also the same, as BJSS bungled numerous chances, and looked like they were just waiting for the final hooter to end their misery.
The BJSS goals were scored by Dangerous Lee Mathew (15th, 41st), Faridzul Afiq (25th) and Fahed Saifullah (36th).
"I told the boys not to exert themselves, as we have a crucial match to play on Sunday (against Kijang Mas) in Terengganu. We had a bad experience last year, when both the sports schools played and a key player got injured and could not contribute for the rest of the season," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
BPSS, meanwhile, got their goals off Hanif Saidin (sixth), Hafiz Nawi (eighth, 16th, 40th), Zahirul Faez (20th) and Taufik Hamid (38th).
The BPSS Juniors goals were scored by Dzahiruddin Ilyas (34th) and Hafiz Saleman (63rd).
RESULTS -- Division Two: BJSS Juniors 0 BJSS 4, Petaling Jaya CC 1 OLAK1, Kijang Mas 2 Tenaga 5, BPSS Juniors 2 BPSS 6, Setapak High 0 Malacca 2, Batu Pahat 2 Anderson 1.
Division Three: Perlis 2 Temerloh 3, Penang 1 English College 1, Datuk Taha 1 Matri 3, Kuala Selangor 1 Nur Insafi 7.

Olak out to keep unbeaten record

OLD La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) face a severe test of character in Division Two of the Malaysia Hockey League this weekend.
Olak have played two matches and won both, and have a rain-disrupted match in hand against Batu Pahat. Today, Olak square off against Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC) and then take on table toppers Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) on Sunday.
"We have maximum points, and have played one match less than the other teams, so we need to keep a clean record against PJCC, before trying our best against favourites BPSS," said Olak team manager Joseph de Silva.
Olak are the only team who have not missed a single season since the Junior Hockey League was incepted in 1995, and had their glory days.
The Klang team have the distinction of winning the League in 1997, 1998 and 1999 while their Overall title wins came in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
"We have assembled a good side this season, and our aim is to play in the knockout stages. So, we are on the right track."
De Silva had special words for his forwards Arshad Repikh Ali, Hashim Noor, Azraie Azizan and Abdullah Sani.
"Our four forwards have good understanding of each other, and former Anderson player Arshad could make the difference this weekend."
Today, the seniors of both sports schools square off against their juniors with the outcome quite predictable. The BPSS-BPSS Juniors and BJSS-BJSS Juniors matches could see plenty of goals scored as both the senior teams may need the numbers at the end of the MSL fixtures to claim the title.
TODAY -- Division Two: BJSS Juniors v BJSS (Tun Razak Stadium, 6pm), Petaling Jaya CC v OLAK (Tun Razak, 8pm), Kijang Mas v Tenaga (Terengganu, 5pm), BPSS Juniors v BPSS ((Bandar Penawar, 5pm), Setapak High v Malacca (KLHA Stadium, 6pm), Batu Pahat v Anderson (batu Pahat, 5pm).
Division Three: Perlis v Temerloh (Kangar, 5pm), Penang v English College (USM Stadium, 5pm), Datuk Taha v Matri (Tampin, 5pm), Kuala Selangor v Nur Insafi (Pandamaran Stadium, 5pm).

Rain derails BJSS victory march

Faridzul Afiq Mohamad (left) of BJSS tries to get past Anderson School’s Muhammad Azrin Anuar in their Division Two Malaysia Hockey League match yesterday. The match was abandoned in the 22nd minute due to a water-logged pitch. — Pic: MOHD YUSNI ARIFFIN

DOUBLE champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) were leading Anderson School of Ipoh 1-0 when their match at the Tun Razak Stadium in Kuala Lumpur was cut short by a thunderstorm in Division Two of the Malaysian Hockey League yesterday.

The BJSS onslaught was brought to a premature end in the 22nd minute when the pitch became water-logged following heavy rain which refused to stop.
"The match was called off because the pitch was deemed unplayable due to heavy rain. It will be played at a later date," said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) assistant secretary N. Krishnan.
And BJSS' misery was Bandar Penawar Sports School's gain when they beat Batu Pahat 4-2 to top the table with 10 points.
But their lead is only temporary as BJSS are expected to re-gain top spot when they play Anderson to complete the match.
In another Division Two match, Malacca beat Bukit Jalil Sports School Juniors 4-0.
The Malacca scorers were Hanif Rahim (fourth), Amirullah Zainol (23rd), Syakir Amir (54th) and Iderus Ali (70th).
Petaling Jaya City Council collected their first full points after three matches when they edged Kijang Mas of Kelantan 3-2.
The PJCC scorers were Ahmad Kafeel (16th), Fuad Azis (28th) and Manraj Singh (30th). Hanif Ropi (55th) and Fadli Ismail (64th) scored for Kijang Mas.
RESULTS -- Division Two: Bukit Jalil Sports School 1 Anderson 0 (rained-off after 22 minutes), Kijang Mas 2 Petaling Jaya CC 3, Malacca 4 Bukit Jalil Sports School Juniors 0, Bandar Penawar SS 4 Batu Pahat 2.
Division Three: Nur Insafi 8 TBSS Tampin 0, Penang 1 Perlis 1, Datuk Taha 2 Temerloh 2, Selangor 0 English College 1, Kuala Selangor 1 Matri 3.

DIVISION TWO

P W D L F A Pts
BPSS 4 3 1 0 11 4 10
BJSS 3 3 0 0 11 2 9
Setapak High 3 2 1 0 10 3 7
TNB 3 2 0 1 10 4 6
Anderson 3 2 0 1 6 2 6
Olak 2 2 0 0 5 2 6
Malacca 3 1 1 1 6 4 4
Batu Pahat 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
PJ City Council 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Kijang Mas 4 0 1 3 2 8 1
BPSS Jnrs 3 0 0 3 2 10 0
BJSS Jnrs 4 0 0 4 2 18 0


DIVISION THREE

P W D L F A Pts
Nur Insafi 4 4 0 0 18 2 12
Temerloh 4 2 2 0 8 6 8
Perlis 4 2 1 1 12 6 7
English College 4 2 1 1 5 5 7
TBSS-Tampin 4 2 1 1 8 11 7
Penang 4 1 3 0 6 5 6
Matri 4 1 1 2 7 7 4
Kuala Selangor 3 1 0 2 5 13 3
Datuk Taha 4 0 1 3 9 14 1
Selangor 5 0 0 5 5 13 0

Favourites BJSS continue march

BSS Jr’s Muhammad Aidil Zainal (front) is hassled by Setapak High’s Mohd Hakimi Zulkifli in their Malaysia Hockey League match at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium on Friday. Setapak won 3-1. — Pic: MOHD YUSNI ARIFFIN

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) have re-claimed the favourites tag after beating Tenaga Nasional, but they still have at least four more hurdles to overcome before it is smooth sailing for them in Division Two of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

For starters, BJSS have Anderson School of Ipoh to contend with today.
"I am glad that my team showed some mettle in the win against Tenaga, but we still have many more matches to play in the MHL.
"It was a bruising encounter (against Tenaga) and after a day's rest, the boys will need to return to form against Anderson, who I believe will be looking to erase the defeat against Olak," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) found it difficult to subdue a fighting Anderson, and lost three players to injury, before beating Anderson 2-1 on Friday.
"Anderson this year are very robust, and three of my players had to be taken out and received stitches on their faces.
"I believe Anderson will be difficult to beat after this, and should trouble BJSS tomorrow (today)," said Olak team manager Joseph de Silva.
Setapak High School, whose only poor result thus far is the 0-0 draw against Kijang Mas of Kelantan, Bandar Penawar Sports School, and Olak are among the other teams BJSS need to tame before they can start dreaming of standing at the top of the podium again.
BJSS, double champions last year, have a collection of 10 titles under their belt -- six League and four Overall -- and are looking for more silverware even though they have fielded Under-17 boys in the Under-19 MHL.
TODAY -- Division One: Bukit Jalil Sports School v Anderson (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), Kijang Mas v Petaling Jaya CC (Kuala Terengganu, 5pm), Malacca v Bukit Jalil Sports School Juniors (Malacca, 5pm), Bandar Penawar SS v Batu Pahat (Bandar Penawar, 5pm).
Division Three: Nur Insafi v TBSS-Tampin (Sungai Petani, 5pm), Penang v Perlis (USM, 5pm), Datuk Taha v Temerloh (Tampin, 5pm), Selangor v English College (Pandamaran , 3pm), Kuala Selangor v Matri (Pandamaran, 5pm).

Zeeshan Ashraf set to skipper Pakistan

By Khalid Hussain

KARACHI: Seasoned defender Zeeshan Ashraf is all set to return as Pakistan captain in the five-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Malaysia in April, writes Khalid Hussain.
Sources told ‘The News’ that when Pakistan will select their 18-man squad for the Azlan Shah Cup in the second half of March, Zeeshan is most likely to get a recall as captain.
The Quetta-based Zeeshan, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday on Saturday (tomorrow), led Pakistan in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing last August but was ‘rested’ for the four-nation Hamburg Masters in Germany — Pakistan’s last international assignment. Striker Shakeel Abbasi was appointed as captain for the Hamburg quadrangular last October.
Zeeshan was included in a list of 40 odd players selected in the preliminary squad for the Azlan Shah Cup to be played in Ipoh from April 6-12.
He is one of the senior most players in the pool and is all set to be recalled in the national team that will be selected after trials next month.
Also in contention for captaincy are former skipper Muhamnmad Saqlain, who has impressed team officials with his fitness during the ongoing camp.
However, Saqlain is infamous for his temperamental nature and it is more likely that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will opt for Zeeshan as the Pakistan captain for the Malaysian tour.
Former champions Pakistan will join New Zealand (world No 7), India (11th), Malaysia (15) and Egypt (20th) in the Azlan Shah Cup. They will open their title campaign with a match against hosts Malaysia on April 6.
The provisional squad for the Ipoh assignment is currently preparing for the tournament at the National Stadium in Lahore.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan told ‘The News’ on Thursday that he and fellow coaches are working hard on helping the players improve their fitness during the ongoing conditioning camp.
He said that most of the 38 players currently attending the camp are undergoing strenuous training sessions and hoped that Pakistan will be able to raise a strong team for the Ipoh contest.
A total of 42 players were picked in the provisional squad but four senior players are unavailable for the Azlan Shah Cup because of their club commitments in The Netherlands. Drag flick ace Sohail Abbas, striker Rehan Butt, midfielder Waseem Ahmed and goal-keeper Salman Akber have been exempted from the training camp and the Ipoh assignment by the PHF.
Pakistan have decided to use the Azlan Shah Cup as a warm-up event for this May’s Asia Cup to be held in Dubai.
The Asia Cup to be played from May 8-15 will serve as the qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup in India. The new Asia Cup winners will earn a direct spot for the quadrennial spectacle.
“Our sights are set on the Asia Cup and all our planning is being carried out in a way that we take a team to Dubai that is good enough to win the title,” said Shahid, a former Olympian.