Bandar Penawar rue their draw

BANDAR Penawar Sports School (BPSS) are still ruing their 1-1 draw in the curtain raiser of Malaysia Hockey League, which has placed them in a tight spot in their Division Two title challenge.
BPSS drew 1-1 with Malacca, but lead the standings by default because hot favourites Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) have a rain-interrupted match against Anderson in hand.
But the southern Sports School has shown some mettle in Division One, as they came back from two goals down before beating a stubborn Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak).
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman said it is too early to celebrate their position, as they still have many tough matches to complete.
“We know the score, and are sitting at the top because BJSS have played one less match.
“However, I feel we have a strong team this year, as we have included seven payers who are waiting for their SPM results, and they have managed to give the team a good shape,” said Wan Roslan.
Year-in-and-year-out, BPSS have been forced to use only Form Four boys, while their seniors ply their trade with other clubs.
“But this year, six Form Five boys and one pre-university student decided that they want to represent the school and not other clubs, and I am thankful to them.
“With the experienced seven in the fold, the others are also playing with confidence now, and our results show a marked improvement.
“The opening match against Malacca (1-1 draw) is a hiccup, and we hope to continue our winning ways in the remaining matches,” said Wan Roslan.
And their most crucial match will be against BJSS, at the tail end of the League.
“We play BJSS in our second last match, and if we can keep up our momentum, it might just be the title decider.”

Tenaga survive second half scare

TENAGA Nasional lost steam in the second half and could only beat Batu Pahat 4-2 in Division Two of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.

Tenaga took a 4-0 cushion into the breather, but Batu Pahat came back strongly in the second half and narrowed the margin of defeat.
Tenaga were made to struggle for 20 minutes before skipper Faizal Yaccob broke the deadlock, and the other three goals came in quick succession as Batu Pahat were momentarily stunned.
Khalilie Husna (27th), Yusri Yusof (30th) and R. Ramesh (31st) scored the other Tenaga goals. The Batu Pahat goals were scored by Wan Nasrullah (45th) and Faizul Syafiq (54th).
Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) maintained their grip in Division Two when they edged Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) 3-2 at the Pandamaran Stadium.
And Bukit Jalil Sports School, who have played one less match than BPSS, maintained their forward match with a 3-1 win over Kijang Mas of Kelantan.
"The boys started of well and we could have won with a bigger margin, if not for some silly mistakes in the second half," said Tenaga assistant manager Jasbere Singh.
"However, I am happy with the three points. Our campaign is far from over, even though we have lost one match, as the table toppers could hit a bad patch in their remaining matches," he added.
The Malacca-Anderson match was postponed to today morning, as there was no electricity supply to work the water pumps.
RESULTS -- Division Two: PJCC 1 Setapak High 1, Kijang Mas 1 BJSS 3, Malacca v Anderson (match called off, no electricity), Olak 2 BPSS 3, BPSS Juniors 0 BJSS Juniors 1, Tenaga Nasional 4 Batu Pahat 2.
Division Three: Matri 1 Nur Insafi 5, Selangor 1 Kuala Selangor 1, Temerloh 3 English College 1.

The BJSS dilemma

BUKIT Jalil Sports School (BJSS) were in a dilemma when they played BJSS Juniors on Friday in Division Two of the Malaysia Hockey League.

How many goals to score?
BJSS coach S. Prakash summed it up when he said: "I am not into fixing the outcome of matches. But the dilemma here was because one team was my right eye, and the other team my left eye. We could have pummeled the juniors, but would that not have left a lasting scar in their progress?.
So BJSS scored two goals in each half to beat their juniors 4-0.
His move was not controversial or against hockey rules, as teams have played to a draw by keeping the ball in midfield in International Hockey Federation (FIH) sanctioned tournaments, but no action was taken because it was considered a tactical move.
"I also took the cautious approach because we had a tough match against Kijang Mas (today) and I did not want to tire the boys, or demoralise the juniors by whipping them, as they too have many more matches to play," said Prakash.
But it was obvious to all at the Tun Razak Stadium, that BJSS and their juniors are made up of average players, and it would take a miracle to turn even a handful of them into international class players.
Today, table-toppers Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) meet Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) in Pandamaran, and the sports school are expected to come out tops.
TODAY -- Division Two: PJCC v Setapak High (Tun Razak Stadium, 5pm), Kijang Mas v BJSS (Terengganu, 5pm), Malacca v Anderson (Malacca, 5pm), Olak v BPSS (Pan damaran 5pm), BPSS Juniors v BJSS Juniors (Bandar Pe nawar, 5pm), Tenaga Nasional v Batu Pahat (KLHA Stadium, 5pm).
Division Three: Matri v Nur Insafi (Kangar, 5pm), Selangor v Kuala Selangor (Pandamaran, 3pm), Temerloh v English College (Kuantan, 5pm).

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).