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THE Project 2013 hockey team are primed for an explosive Junior Asia Cup in Malacca on May 3-13, with coach K. Dharmaraj bent on winning the gold medal.
His confidence stems from Faizal Saari (pic) becoming a one-man scoring machine in the friendlies against Pakistan and South Korea.
And Faizal will complement well with penalty corner flicker Noor Faeez Ibrahim, who played a pivotal role in helping Malaysia win the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup.
"Faizal has shown great composure and is now the ace in the Project 2013 team.
"His penalty corner flicks are not only accurate, but powerful, and he would be the player to watch in Malacca," said Dharmaraj.
The finalists in Malacca will advance to the Junior World Cup in India next year.
Malaysia have South Korea, Japan and Iran for company in Group A. India are in Group B with Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka.
India, as hosts, are automatic qualifiers regardless of how they end up in the tournament.
However, if India play in the final, then the bronze medallists will also advance to New Delhi.
India are the defending champions, and have won the last two editions in Karachi in 2004 and Chennai in 2008.
Balbir ( 4th from left, standing) with the NS Veterans Team in Kedah last December
By http://www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com/
Funeral details for Balbir: Cremation would be on Tuesday April 24 at Cheras Crematorium , Jln Kuari at 1pm.
IT is with profound sadness that I report the death of former international Balbir Singh. He was 51 years old and leaves behind three boys and his wife.
Balbir, who represented Malaysia, RMR and Yayasan Negeri Sembilan in the 1980's to 1990's, suffered a heart attack while representing Malacca Sikhs in a tournament in Singapore this afternoon (Sunday).
He was walking towards the centre of the pitch when he collapsed.
One of the first to rush to Balbir was his long time friend and team mate Gurmit Singh.
"He just collapsed and we tried to revive him. There was a faint pulse and he was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead," said Gurmit who was in tears when contacted in Singapore.
"It was all of a sudden. One minute we were joking and now he is gone. I just cannot believe it."
Balbir was a member of the YNS team in 1995 that won the Overall Championships in the MHL.
Prior to that Balbir played for RMR and served the Armed Forces for 18 years, his last post being a Sargent Mejar.
Balbir represented Negeri Sembilan in the National Veterans Tournament in Kedah last December and was instrumental in helping the team emerge champions.
"It is truly a sad day for hockey as Balbir was one of the more fitter players during his hey days. He made up for his lack of skills with hard running and was a very disciplined player. I am shocked at his demise and still cannot get over it," said MHC Vice President Manjit Majid Abdullah who is also in Singapore.
Balbir , who hails from Malacca, was a member of the three men RMR strike force that drove fear into the hearts of their opponents, the other two being Mohd Nor Hussain and Yusof Sameon.
HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) who is currently attending the Asean Football Federation meeting in Manila has extended his condolences to the family of Balbir.
THE national hockey team has gone through the normal process of meeting up with the management and coaches after the Dublin Olympic Qualifier, and the consensus is to forget the failure and look forward to better days.
Initially, there was talk that a group of disillusioned senior players wanted to quit the national team after the coaches report was submitted to the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) council on April 10.
However, all the issues have been clarified, and the players are back in training for the Azlan Shah Cup on May 24 to June 3 in Ipoh.
Team manager George Koshy said yesterday that after meeting MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the players have started their Azlan Shah Cup train ing.
“Even before the coaches report was tabled at the MHC Council Meeting, Tengku Abdullah had wanted to meet the players.
“And after I met them, and the coaches (Tai Beng Hai and Nor Saiful Zaini) spoke to the players, Tengku Abdullah met them and had a healthy discussion.
“The mandate was to forget the Dublin failure and con centrate on the task at hand -- which is the Azlan Shah Cup,” said George Koshy.
The manager also clarified that no player has withdrawn from the team.
“Azlan Misron did indicate that he wanted a break and would like to skip the Azlan Shah Cup. However, after listening to all parties, he was back in training today (yesterday).
“The only player who has indicated strongly that he wants to quit is Madzli Ikmar, but I am going to have a chat with and see where it goes.
“Otherwise, 95 per cent of the players called-up for training have reported, while a few of them are with the Project 2013 side and also busy with their studies,” said George.
The Project 2013 will be involved with the Junior Asia Cup on May 3-13, which also doubles up as the Junior World Cup Qualifier.
The Azlan Shah Cup will be a seven team event with Malaysia the only team not qualified for the Olympics. The Olympics cast is Pakistan Great Britain, South Korea, New Zealand, Argentina, India.
By Ajitpal Singh
THE future of Malaysian hockey will depend on how the Project 2013 squad fare in the Junior Asia Cup, which doubles up as a qualifier for next year's New Delhi Junior World Cup.
Coach K. Dharmaraj believes his players, who have been with him since 2009, will not let him down at the tournament scheduled for May 3-13 at Malacca's Bukit Serindit Stadium.
Except for India, who as hosts have qualified automatically for the Junior World Cup, the other seven teams will be vying for the two berths allocated by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
Malaysia have been drawn in Group A with South Korea, Japan and Iran while India, Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka make up Group B.
"I want my team to win this tournament. Anything less than that means I've failed. We, however, need to focus on reaching the final first before thinking about the title," said Dharmaraj yesterday.
"We have played all these teams and I believe we are good enough to do better than them. I have 32 players in training and all of them have improved since 2009. It will be tough for me to select only 18 for this event."
The team will bank on the experience of national players Firhan Ashaari, Amir Farid and the Saari brothers, Faizal and Fitri in the tournament.
"They will form the core but I also have 10 other players who have been in and out of the national squad of late," said the coach.
Dharmaraj will drop 10 players after today's friendly against South Korea before they leave for Malacca.
"We will play friendlies against an Australian county side in Malacca before I trim the squad to the final 18," he added.
Malaysia open their campaign against Iran on May 3.
7th Men’s Junior Asia Cup
Malacca, Malaysia – 3/13 May 2012
---------------------------------------------
Pool A Pool B
Korea Pakistan
Malaysia India
Japan China
Iran Sri Lanka
Date Match # Time Pitch Pool Match
Thu 3 May 12 01 17h00 1 A Korea v. Japan
02 19h00 1 A Malaysia v. Iran
Fri 4 May 12 03 17h00 1 B Pakistan v. China
04 19h00 1 B India v. Sri Lanka
Sat 5 May 12 05 17h00 1 A Japan v. Iran
06 19h00 1 A Malaysia v. Korea
Sun 6 May 12 07 15h00 1 B China v. Sri Lanka
08 17h00 1 B India v. Pakistan
09 19h00 1 A Korea v. Iran
Mon 7 May 12 10 15h00 1 B China v. India
11 17h00 1 B Pakistan v. Sri Lanka
12 19h00 1 A Japan v. Malaysia
