Malaysia with even chance

AS hosts since 1983, Malaysia have yet to win the Azlan
Shah Cup gold medal, but came close in three editions only
to settle for silver medals.
And an appearance in the final is not out of their hands as
the 20th Edition begins in Ipoh today, as almost all the
teams will be parading a healthy dose of junior players
while Malaysia still have their Asian Games team intact.
The hosts play Great Britain today in the curtain raiser,
and coach Tai Beng Hai will have his hands full against the
Olympic hosts.
"We have not played with Britain for a long time but I
expect it to be a tough match as they are preparing for the
Olympics.
"A winning start is what we will be looking for, as the
MHF have set a target of finishing top-four in Ipoh," said
national coach Tai Beng Hai.
Britain coach Jason Lee said: “We would not normally be
able to attend a high-calibre international tournament as
Great Britain this early in an Olympic cycle, so competing
in the Azlan Shah is a good opportunity.
“The heat and humidity of Malaysia will be a true test of
the team’s fighting spirit, things we will need in 2012. It
will be an interesting match against Malaysia tomorrow
(today).”
The last time Malaysia played Britain was in the 2007
Kuala Lumpur Champions Trophy where we lost 3-2.
Overall, Malaysia have played 20 times with Britain and
lost 12 drew six and only won two matches.
The first win was in 1991 in Cardiff where K. Embaraj's
penalty corner goal was enough, while the second win was
in the 1996 Azlan Shah Cup where we won 3-2.
In the Azlan Shah Cup, The national team were second
in 1985, 2007 and 2009 while last year they finished fourth
behind Australia.
The fact that Malaysia are world No 15, while the rest of
the field are many rungs above, should not be brought into
the picture as the national players prepare to play in the
Olympics for the first time since Sydney 2000.
World No 1 Australia, Great Britain (fourth) South Korea
(sixth), New Zealand (seven), Pakistan (eight) and India
(ninth) are the world class fare who will make their
presence felt at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.
India and Pakistan have always been a draw-card in the
tournament, and with the latter winning the Asian Games
gold medal over Malaysia, the expectations will be high on
the men in green.
However, both the Asian leaders will be sending diluted
sides and it would be interesting to see how well their
reserves bench has progressed.
Australia, won the World Cup, the Champions Trophy and
Commonwealth gold by losing just one match in the
process last year --- surprisingly finished third in the Azlan
Shah Cup.
And could well end up in the same position as they also
opted to blood new players.
So, reaching the final is not a piped dream for coach Tai
Beng Hai and his charges as they prepare to break into the
Olympics bracket, which could take them into the top-10 in
the world by 2013.
FIXTURES: MAY 5 -- New Zealand v Pakistan (4pm), India
v South Korea 6pm), Great Britain v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 6 -- Korea v Pakistan (4pm), Great Britain v India
(6pm), Australia v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 7 -- REST DAY.
MAY 8 -- Australia v India (4pm), Great Britain v Pakistan
(6pm), Korea v New Zealand (8pm).
MAY 9 -- Australia v Pakistan (4pm), Great Britain v New
Zealand (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 10 -- REST DAY.
MAY 11 -- New Zealand v Malaysia (4pm), Australia v Korea
(6pm), Pakistan v India (8pm).
MAY 12 -- Australia v Great Britain (4pm), New Zealand v
India (6pm), Korea v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 14 -- Great Britain v South Korea (4pm), Pakistan v
Malaysia (6pm), Australia v New Zealand (8pm).
MAY 15 -- Fifth-Sixth (4pm), Third-Fourth (6pm); Final
(8.30pm).

Asian Games squad for Azlan Shah

NATIONAL chief coach Tai Beng Hai still needs time to decide is he wants to field Amin Rahim for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on May 5-15.
Amin, 31, tore a ligament in his right knee while playing for Tenaga Nasional in the Malaysia Hockey League but has recovered, but Beng Hai wants another opinion.
“Amin has recovered from his knee injury, but I will wait until the team managers meeting before deciding on him. It all depends on another medical check up on him in the next two days.
“And then I will decide if if I want to rest him for the long run (Champions Challenge and Olympics Qualifier) or field him now,” said Beng Hai.
There are 25 players in training, and Beng Hai said 15 from the Asian Games silver medal winning side have been retained. The 16th member was Amin.
“Fifteen players are assured for their place, while Amin will be decided later. Also, Azreen (Rizal) picked up an injury while playing against New Zealand (on Sunday) and I will wait for the doctor’s recommendation on him,” said Beng Hai.
Malaysia held New Zealand to a 2-2 draw in the 35 minute friendly, and the coach feels the Kiwis have a strong side even though some of the regulars are missing.
“New Zealand has depth in their reserves and even with the absence of some regulars, they are still strong and will pose a problem for every team in the tournament.”
Kelvinder Singh, who picked up an injury before the Asian Games, is also expected to make a comeback in Ipoh.
The Azlan Shah Cup allows 18 players to be registered, and that means if Amin is ruled out and Kelvinder selected, two players from the Project 2013 will get their break in Ipoh.
ASIAN GAMES SQUAD: S. Kumar (Gk), Roslan Jamaluddin (Gk), Razie Rahim, Baljit Singh, Madzli Ikmar, Azreen Rizal, Shahrun Nabil, Sukri Mutalib, Marhan Jalil , Nabil Fiqri, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Azlan Misron, Hafi fihafiz Hanafi, Izwan Firdaus, Amin Rahim.
FIXTURES: MAY 5 -- New Zealand v Pakistan (4pm), India v South Korea 6pm), Great Britain v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 6 -- Korea v Pakistan (4pm), Great Britain v India (6pm), Australia v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 7 -- REST DAY.
MAY 8 -- Australia v India (4pm), Great Britain v Pakistan (6pm), Korea v New Zealand (8pm).
MAY 9 -- Australia v Pakistan (4pm), Great Britain v New Zealand (6pm), India v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 10 -- REST DAY.
MAY 11 -- New Zealand v Malaysia (4pm), Australia v Korea (6pm), Pakistan v India (8pm).
MAY 12 -- Australia v Great Britain (4pm), New Zealand v India (6pm), Korea v Malaysia (8pm).
MAY 14 -- Great Britain v South Korea (4pm), Pakistan v Malaysia (6pm), Australia v New Zealand (8pm).
MAY 15 -- Fifth-Sixth (4pm), Third-Fourth (6pm); Final (8.30pm).

TBSS v Malacca High in semis

MSSP-USM topped Group A of Division One when they beat Politeknik KPT 3-1 in the Junior Hockey League yesterday.
The win will see them play Group B runners-up Johor in the semi-finals. In the second semi-finals, Tunku Besar secondary School of Tampin, Group B champions, will play Malacca High School who ended runners-up in Group A.
Yesterday, Rafi Razi (10th) and Rahimi Iskandar (31st, 64th) scored for MSSP-USm, while the Politeknik goal was
scored by Izzat Syahir in the 24th minute.
"We will be playing a tough side in Malacca High School, but I expect my charges to deliver yet again in the semi-finals, as they have been training as a team for the last two years," said TBSS coach M. Vivekananda.
Vivekananda has now set a target of playing in Division One for his charges.
"We need to win the Division Two title so that we can play in Division One next year. I believe my players are ready for action at a higher level next season," said Vivekananda.
The finalists in Division Two will play in the Overall title quarter-finals, with the top-six from Division One.
The teams from Division One which have qualified are League champions UniKL, Bandar Penawar sports School, Bukit Jalil Sports School, BPSS Juniors, BJSS Juniors and Anderson.
RESULTS --DIVISION ONE: BJSS Juniors 5 Ipoh Juniors 4, Kelantan 1 Pahang 2, Anderson 1 BPSS Juniors 0.
DIVISION TWO (Group A): Politeknik PTK 1 MSSP-USM 3.
Group B: MSSP Juniors 1 MSSWP-KLHC 1.

FINAL STANDINGS (FOR ALL)

P W D L F A Pts
UniKL 9 8 1 0 47 5 25
BPSS 9 8 1 0 46 8 25
BJSS 9 6 1 2 23 12 19
BJSS Juniors 9 5 1 3 20 27 16
Anderson 9 4 1 4 16 30 13
BPSS Juniors 9 3 3 3 20 21 12
PJCC 9 3 0 6 16 23 9
Pahang 9 2 0 7 9 31 6
Ipoh Juniors 9 1 1 7 17 31 4
Kelantan 9 0 1 8 13 39 1

DIVISION TWO

Group A
P W D L F A Pts
MSSPP-USM 5 4 1 0 20 3 13
Malacca High 5 4 0 1 18 6 12
Datuk Taha 5 2 2 1 10 4 8
Politeknik KPT 5 2 1 2 11 6 7
BPSS-WHPC 5 1 0 4 2 21 3
Sheikh Ahmad 5 0 0 5 1 22 0

Group B
P W D L F A Pts
TBSS Tampin 6 5 0 1 28 6 15
Johor 6 5 0 1 17 6 15
Perlis 6 2 2 2 8 8 8
OLAK-PKT 6 2 2 2 10 19 8
Padang Midin 6 1 3 2 8 13 6
MSSWP-KLHC 6 1 2 3 5 10 5
MSSPP-Jnrs 6 0 1 5 4 18 1

TBSS Group B champions

TUNKU Besar Secondary School (TBSS) of Tampin beat Perlis 1-0 to became champions in Group B of Division Two in the Junior Hockey League yesterday.
TBSS will now either play Malacca High School or MSSPP-USM in the cross-over semi-finals.
MSSPP-USM will play their last league fixture today against Politeknik PTK, and if they win, they will play against Johor in the crossover.
The finalists from Division Two will join the top-six teams from Division One in the quarter-finals of the Overall title.
Yesterday, the TBSS winner was nailed by Ikwan Ishak in the 26th minute off a field attempt.
Meanwhile, in Division One Bukit Jalil Sports School finished third in the League with 19 points when they beat Kelantan 2-1.
BJSS are a far cry from their six-time consecutive double winning sides who did the school proud from 2003-2009.
From Division One, the quarter-finalists are League champions UniKL, Bandar Penawar sports School, Bukit Jalil Sports School, BPSS Juniors, BJSS Juniors and Anderson.
RESULTS: DIVISION ONE: BJSS Juniors 2 PJCC 1, Pahang 2 Ipoh Juniors 1, Kelantan 1 BJSS 2.
DIVISION TWO (Group A): BPSS-WHPC 1 Datuk Taha 3, Malacca High School 8 Sheikh Ahmad 0.
Group B: Perlis 0 Tunku Besar SS 1.
TODAY -- DIVISION ONE: BJSS Juniors v Ipoh Juniors (Education Ministry, 4.30pm), Kelantan v Pahang (Kuantan Stadium, 4.30pm), Anderson v BPSS Juniors (Azlan Shah, 4.30pm).
DIVISION TWO (Group A): Politeknik PTK v MSSP-USM (Alor Star, 4.30pm).
Group B: MSSP Juniors v MSSWP-KLHC (USM , 4.30pm).

P W D L F A Pts
UniKL 9 8 1 0 47 5 25
BPSS 9 8 1 0 46 8 25
BJSS 9 6 1 2 23 12 19
BJSS Juniors 8 4 1 3 15 23 13
BPSS Juniors 8 3 3 2 20 20 12
Anderson 8 3 1 4 15 30 10
PJCC 9 3 0 6 16 23 9
Ipoh Juniors 7 1 1 5 12 17 4
Pahang 8 1 0 7 7 30 3
Kelantan 8 0 1 7 12 37 1

DIVISION TWO

Group A
P W D L F A Pts
Malacca High 5 4 0 1 18 6 12
MSSPP-USM 4 3 1 0 17 2 10
Datuk Taha 5 2 2 1 10 4 8
Politeknik KPT 4 2 1 1 10 3 7
BPSS-WHPC 5 1 0 4 2 21 3
Sheikh Ahmad 5 0 0 5 1 22 0

Group B
P W D L F A Pts
TBSS Tampin 6 5 0 1 28 6 15
Johor 6 5 0 1 17 6 15
Perlis 6 2 2 2 8 8 8
OLAK-PKT 6 2 2 2 10 19 8
Padang Midin 6 1 3 2 8 13 6
MSSWP-KLHC 6 1 1 4 4 12 4
MSSPP-Jnrs 5 0 0 5 13 17 0

Matri gets a lashing

THE Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) reversed their pat-on-the-back to Matri, into a severe lashing when they kicked out the Perlis team from the Junior Hockey League (JHL) fixtures.
Matri, who failed to show-up for their match against BPSS- WHPC at the Taman Daya Stadium last Sunday, were initially only fined RM500.
However, the JHL technical committee yesterday decided to boot them out of Group A in Division Two, and also make all their matches null-and-void.
Matri were also slapped a one-season ban from playing in the JHL.
“After receiving feedback from out members, it was decided that Matri must not be let off the hook easily, because then, the MHF will be sending a wrong signal to other teams,” said MHF secretary Maninderjit Singh.
Matri gave a lame excuse for not turning up for the match: “The team management said they could not arrange for transport, but they only told us two hours before the match was supposed to start.
“There was nothing that we could do to help them in such a short notice, as they are from Perlis and playing in Johor Baru,” said Maninderjit.
RESULT: DIVISION TWO (Group B) – Perlis 2 MSPP Juniors 0.
TODAY: DIVISION ONE: BJSS Juniors v PJCC (Education Ministry, 4.30pm), Pahang v Ipoh Juniors (Kuantan Stadium, 4.40pm), Kelantan v BJSS (Kuantan Stadium, 6.30pm).
DIVISION TWO (Group A): BPSS-WHPC v Datuk Taha (Taman Daya, 4.30pm), Malacca High School v Sheikh Ahmad (Bukit Serindit, 4.30pm)
Group B: Perlis v Tunku Besar SS (Alor Star, 4.30pm).
SATURDAY -- DIVISION ONE: BJSS Juniors v Ipoh Juniors (Education Ministry, 4.30pm), Kelantan v Pahang (Kuantan Stadium, 4.30pm), Anderson v BPSS Juniors (Azlan Shah, 4.30pm).
DIVISION TWO (Group A): Politeknik PTK v MSSP-USM (Alor Star, 4.30pm).
Group B: MSSP Juniors v MSSWP-KLHC (USM , 4.30pm).

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pts
UniKL 9 8 1 0 47 5 25
BPSS 9 8 1 0 46 8 25
BJSS 8 5 1 2 21 11 16
BPSS Juniors 8 3 3 2 20 20 12
BJSS Juniors 7 3 1 3 13 22 10
Anderson 8 3 1 4 15 30 10
PJCC 8 3 0 5 15 21 9
Ipoh Juniors 6 1 1 4 11 15 4
Kelantan 7 0 1 6 11 35 1
Pahang 7 0 0 7 5 29 0

DIVISION TWO

Group A
P W D L F A Pts
MSSPP-USM 4 3 1 0 17 2 10
Malacca High 4 3 0 1 10 6 9
Politeknik KPT 4 2 1 1 10 3 7
Datuk Taha 4 1 2 1 7 3 5
BPSS-WHPC 4 1 0 3 1 18 3
Sheikh Ahmad 4 0 0 4 1 14 0

Group B
P W D L F A Pts
Johor 6 5 0 1 17 6 15
TBSS Tampin 5 4 0 1 27 6 12
Perlis 5 2 2 1 8 7 8
OLAK-PKT 6 2 2 2 10 19 8
Padang Midin 6 1 3 2 8 13 6
MSSWP-KLHC 6 1 1 4 4 12 4
MSSPP-Jnrs 4 0 0 4 3 15 0