Monday, March 14, 2011

KLHC hold the aces

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (LKHC) are the hot favourites to lift the TNB Cup when they square off against Sapura in the final on Saturday.
KLHC, who have seven national players while the rest are former internationals and Junior World Cup players, have depth in every department and their team-work is next to none.
"We are deadly as a unit, and that is what took us into the final. YNS have many good foreign players, but they relied more on individual skills," said KLHC coach K. Dharmaraj.
And his take on Sapura?
"Sapura are a good mix of seniors and juniors and they know how to hold the match and will be deadly. We did beat them twice in the league (6-2, 3-0), and will build on that," said Dharmaraj.
Pakistan import Rehan Butt single handedly placed Sapura in the final by scoring both the goals in their 2-0 win against Tenaga in the second leg.
"My tally is now eight, but the two which I scored in the semi-finals are the most importan and I hope to deliver again in the final," said Rehan.
Thirty-year-old Rehan and Sohail Abbas scored for Pakistan in the final of the Asian Games in China to deny Malaysia a gold medal.
On the MHL overall, the Pakistan slalwart said: "I have seen some good talent in the MHL, and with Malaysia reaching the final of the Asian Games, I see a better future for this country in the near future.
"There is a great change in the mindset of Malaysian players from a few years back, that is for sure," said Rehan who is in the London Olympics training squad.
He will be back in Malaysia for the Azlan Shah Cup, which has a great following in Pakistan.
"The Azlan Shah Cup has a huge following back home and we will surely bring the best team as we would like to add another silverware to our colelction.
"And if I am not called-up to play in Europe (like last year) I will surely want to come back to Malaysia and play in the MHL," said Rehan.