Old Boys behind TBSS' resurgence

FOR 30 years, hockey in Negri Sembilan was synonymous with St Paul's Institution and Tunku Besar Secondary School Tampin (TBSS).

While St Paul Institution (SPI) have somewhat slipped into oblivion over the past few years, TBSS are still going strong and their participation in the Malaysia Hockey League (Junior) is testament to the fact that hockey is alive and kicking in Tampin.
Playing in Division Three, TBSS opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against English College before earning a 2-1 victory against Matri.
They will be out to continue their fine run when they take on SMK Pengkalan Permatang at home tomorrow before trekking up north to lock horns with Nur Insafi in Sungai Petani.
If SPI owed their success to the likes of Lawrence Van Huizen and William Fidelis as coaches, TBSS had V. Sivapathasundram to thank for putting them on the hockey map.
And the team in the MHL (Junior) this time around is being coached by old boy and former Negri player B. P. Moorthie.
Some of the big names who started their hockey careers with TBSS are N. Palanisamy, Dr Brian Jayhan Siva and current national goalkeeper S. Kumar.
Palanisamy was a member of the 1975 World Cup team that finished fourth while Brian, who is now based in Perth, played a crucial role in helping Malaysia win bronze at the 1990 Asian Games.
But for the past 10 years, TBSS, which used to be the top hockey school in the State, slipped into the backwaters due to lack of support from the school administration.
That role was soon taken over by SM Dato Mohd Taha Gemencheh who owed their success largely to workaholic coach Roslan Mohamed.
But the balance of power is about to shift again towards TBSS and this has largely to do with the artificial turf which is a hand-me-down from the Seremban II Stadium and the involvement of former students in the coaching set-up.