Game remains stagnant

By Ajitpal Singh

MATCHES were scrappy, boring, lacking entertainment and in those David
versus Goliath encounters, the scores were a joke. These were among the
complaints of the just concluded Malaysian Hockey League (Under-19)
competition with Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), as expected, winning
both the league and overall titles.
 BJSS and Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) were the dominant teams
while Petaling Jaya City Council (PJCC), Tenaga Nasional and Anderson
were average. Penang's Nur Insafi, however, did make the league more
exciting by winning Division Three before just bowing out to BPSS in the
quarter-finals of the knockout stage.
 This is an unhealthy phenomenon as the other combined 14 Division Two
and Three teams were mostly "fillers" in the league.
 The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) abolished the previous National
Junior League by merging junior and senior teams under one umbrella
league format in the hope it would raise the standard of hockey.
 The intentions were good but unfortunately the new format failed to
make things more competitive.
 In all honesty, even BJSS and BPSS weren't that impressive and were
made to look good as the other teams severely lacked the competitive edge.
 BJSS and BPSS, if they were to compete in top junior leagues in
Australia or Germany, would be outclassed. The junior league should be an
avenue for the MHF to scout for new talent and not a competition for BJSS
and BPSS to thrash off their opponents.
 Both sports schools should not waste their time here, but instead, be
playing in top European junior leagues for exposure.
 BJSS won their "fifth double" on Sunday by defeating BPSS 5-4 on
penalty strokes, following a 3-3 draw after regulation time, in Bukit
Jalil.
 The score might suggest that it was an entertaining match but in
reality it was painful to watch. The league's saving grace was the sudden
emergence of players from Sarawak, a state not known for hockey. The
reason is simple - the Sarawak Hockey Association has taken the
initiative to develop the game from the grassroots level.
 M. Mahendran, who played in the 1975 World Cup, is among the
ex-internationals hired to unearth and coach up-and-coming players in
Kuching, the central base for hockey in the state.
 Among those who shone in the league were BJSS' Dangerous Lee Mathew,
who scored 13 goals in the tournament, Christnall Michael Jieng, Abranden
Andrew (both BJSS Jnrs) and Dielvin Anak Mula (PJCC).
 In reality, the MHL (Under-19) competition was only a warm-up for BJSS
and BPSS. Both sports schools will now compete in the tougher MHL
(Seniors) competition which starts on May 15. They will play in Division
One.
 BJSS coach S. Prakash said the Division One competition will be a
proper avenue to gauge his team.
 "It will be tough for my players but it will be good for their
experience," said Prakash.
 A total of 11 teams have registered for the Malaysian Hockey League
Division One competition which concludes on July 15.
 The teams are BJSS, BPSS, RMAF, UNIMAP (Universiti Malaysia Perlis),
Ipoh City Council, Navy Dolphins, Armed Forces Airod, Armed Forces
Juniors, UiTM (Universiti Teknologi Mara), Border Forces and Malacca City
Council.
 The champions will pocket RM20,000, while the second and third placed
teams will receive RM15,000 and RM10,000, respectively.
 The winners will be promoted to the Premier League, which starts in
October.