THE Malaysian women’s hockey team started Round Two of the World League in style when they beat Russia 3-1 in New Delhi, India, yesterday.
The women, ranked 22nd in the world, beat a 20th ranked team comprehensively, and the score-line could have been much higher if not for the missed sitters.
Siti Rahmah Othman scored the opening goal off a penalty corner attempt in the ninth minute, while Noor Hasliza Ali made it 2-0 off a field attempt in the 42nd minute.
Russia narrowed the gap off a Zhashkova Alexandra penalty corner in the 58th minute, but a 64th minute field attempt from Sylvester Silin Fazilla doused their come-back plans.
Their next match, against India today, is expected to be a cracker with the winner moving closer to the Third Round tournament. The other teams in Malaysia’s group are Kazakhstan, Fiji and Japan.
In the other match of the day, Japan beat Fiji 14-0.
“We relied on counter attacks for this win, as we only earned one penalty corner and made it count. However, our goalkeeper Ayuni (Farah Ayuni Yahya) who was in top flight, was injured in the last three minutes of the match and it looks pretty bad me.
“Hopefully it is not too serious, and she can play tomorrow (today) against India because I expect it to be a tough encounter, but confident my players will deliver full points,” said women’s coach Nasihin Nubli.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) competitions committee decided yesterday to allow Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) debutantes Terengganu to play in the Premier Division.
The decision was taken after Terengganu submitted a team list with eight senior and one national junior.
The nine are Shahrun Nabil, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Azlan Misron, Ismail Abu, Jivan Mohan, Ameerullah Aziz, Fitri Saari, Khairulnizam Ibrahim and junior Mohamed Hasrol.
“Terengganu made a request to play in the tougher Premier Division and we allowed them because they have nine national players.
“There has been precedents where we allowed UniKL and Yayasan Negri Sembilan to play in the top flight in the past based on team list as it would be pointless to let national players run riot in the lower division," said MHC Competitions Committee Chairman M. Gobinathan.
However, it was not a concrete approval as the closing date for registration is March 2 and if Terengganu submit a different team list, they will have to play in the lower division.
The MHL will start on March 22 with the finals slated for May 12. There are seven teams each in the Premier as well as Division One this season.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Jagveen strike hands KLSS title...
JAGVEEN Singh's strike in Division Two of the NSC-Milo-MHC Junior Hockey League final handed Kuala Lumpur Sports School (KLSS) the first silverware at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The City Side edged Kelantan 2-1 to picket RN12,000 while Kelantan took home RM8,500.
Kelantan took the lead off Fitri Zaidi in the 14th minute, who capatalised on a counter attack that caught KLSS defenders wrong footed.
But five minutes later KLSS were on level terms as Firdaus Muzairi converted a penalty stroke awarded by umpire P. Puvalagan.
And Jagveen's 39th minute wizardry from the left side gave KLSS their first title after three years in the JHL.
"It is a historic moment for us as we have finally won a title after three attempts. It pays to keep the team together, and this young side can play for another two years and I believe we will be able to make an impression in Division One next year," said KLSS coach Saiful Munir.
However, Kelantan can be proud of themsevles as they made the final and also put up strong fight against a city side that had the benefit of first class facilities and top coaches as opposed to Kelantan that trained on a worn out pitch in Kota Baru.
While there were plenty of stoppages due to skirmishes between the two teams, the final showcased players with good individual skills and both teams are expected to give the more fancied teams from Division One a run for the money in the Milo Cup that gets underway this Friday.
KLSS and Kelantan have qualified for the Milo Cup, while the other six teams are Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, Petaling Jaya City Council, UniKL Young Guns, Andersons, SSTMI Juniors and Malacca High School with the first leg quarter-finals on Feb 22 and the second leg on Feb 24.
There were bad monents in the match as, in the 42nd minute players from both teams squared up against each other. After the tempers cooled, both the skippers, KLSS's Zul Pidaus Mizun and Kelantan's Izharuddin Zain were shown the yellow card for failing to control their players.
However, KLSS held on to register a famous win as they remained unbeaten in all 10 matches in Division Two.
In the match to decide the bronze, Politeknik KPT beat Anderson Juniors 4-1 to take home RM7,000 while Anderson pocketed RM6,000.
The draw for the Milo Cp will be held on Monday, where the top four teams will be seaded.
RESULTS: Third-Fourth: Politeknik KPT 4 Anderson Juniors 1; Final: KL Sports School 2 Kelantan 1.
The City Side edged Kelantan 2-1 to picket RN12,000 while Kelantan took home RM8,500.
Kelantan took the lead off Fitri Zaidi in the 14th minute, who capatalised on a counter attack that caught KLSS defenders wrong footed.
But five minutes later KLSS were on level terms as Firdaus Muzairi converted a penalty stroke awarded by umpire P. Puvalagan.
And Jagveen's 39th minute wizardry from the left side gave KLSS their first title after three years in the JHL.
"It is a historic moment for us as we have finally won a title after three attempts. It pays to keep the team together, and this young side can play for another two years and I believe we will be able to make an impression in Division One next year," said KLSS coach Saiful Munir.
However, Kelantan can be proud of themsevles as they made the final and also put up strong fight against a city side that had the benefit of first class facilities and top coaches as opposed to Kelantan that trained on a worn out pitch in Kota Baru.
While there were plenty of stoppages due to skirmishes between the two teams, the final showcased players with good individual skills and both teams are expected to give the more fancied teams from Division One a run for the money in the Milo Cup that gets underway this Friday.
KLSS and Kelantan have qualified for the Milo Cup, while the other six teams are Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, Petaling Jaya City Council, UniKL Young Guns, Andersons, SSTMI Juniors and Malacca High School with the first leg quarter-finals on Feb 22 and the second leg on Feb 24.
There were bad monents in the match as, in the 42nd minute players from both teams squared up against each other. After the tempers cooled, both the skippers, KLSS's Zul Pidaus Mizun and Kelantan's Izharuddin Zain were shown the yellow card for failing to control their players.
However, KLSS held on to register a famous win as they remained unbeaten in all 10 matches in Division Two.
In the match to decide the bronze, Politeknik KPT beat Anderson Juniors 4-1 to take home RM7,000 while Anderson pocketed RM6,000.
The draw for the Milo Cp will be held on Monday, where the top four teams will be seaded.
RESULTS: Third-Fourth: Politeknik KPT 4 Anderson Juniors 1; Final: KL Sports School 2 Kelantan 1.
Juniors hit double sixers in Bangalore...
Malaysian Juniors, in India for the Bangalore Super League beat Ashish Ballal Hockey Academy 6-2 in their first match yesterday.
Mohamad Zullhairi Hashim (2 Goals via PC), Fitri Saari, Hafiz Zainol, Rashid Baharom and Sobirin Alias, were the scorers.
And against Central Excise (Army Team), they won 6-0 and the scorers were Mohd Nor Aqmal Abdul Gaffar 1 Goal (PC), Muhammad Zulhairi HAshim 1 Goal (PC), Fitri Saari 1 (FG), Muhammad Redzhwan Ja'afar 1 (FG), Dangerous Lee 2 Goals (FG
The two-week stint is part of preparations for the Junior World Cup in India from Dec 5-16.
Mohamad Zullhairi Hashim (2 Goals via PC), Fitri Saari, Hafiz Zainol, Rashid Baharom and Sobirin Alias, were the scorers.
And against Central Excise (Army Team), they won 6-0 and the scorers were Mohd Nor Aqmal Abdul Gaffar 1 Goal (PC), Muhammad Zulhairi HAshim 1 Goal (PC), Fitri Saari 1 (FG), Muhammad Redzhwan Ja'afar 1 (FG), Dangerous Lee 2 Goals (FG
The two-week stint is part of preparations for the Junior World Cup in India from Dec 5-16.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Kelantan defy the odds...
KELANTAN does not even have a playable artificial pitch, but they still made it to the Division Two final of the NSC-Milo-MHC Junior Hockey League on sheer grit and determination.
Unbeaten after nine matches, coach Hamzi Shaari’s charges will also play in the two-leg Milo Cup quarter-finals starting on Feb 22.
And their other reward is promotion to play with the Big Boys in Division One next season.
“Our only artificial pitch is in bad shape as the turf has fallen apart in many areas and is actually dangerous to train on, but we have no choice but to train there anyway.
“We also had to share it with the soccer team, but it was worth the hassle, as my players showed true grit to reach the final,” said Hamzi, who teachers at Sekolah Menengah Tanah Merah.
However, a moment of madness saw Kelantan’s key player Ashraf Noor being flashed the red card, and now his team is set to suffer the consequences in the final today, as well as the first leg of the quarter-finals.
“Ashraf, a midfielder, was instrumental in attack as well as defence and without him, we will be the underdogs against KLSS (Kuala Lumpur Sports School) as well as the quarterfinals of the Milo Cup.
In the Milo Cup, the four seeded teams are Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, Petaling Jaya City Council and UniKL, Andersons.
The other four; Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School Juniors, Malacca High School, KLSS and Kelantan; will draw lots on Monday to determine their opponents in quarter-finals.
Kelantan, who last won the Division two title in 2008, will have to overcome a strong KLSS hurdle, as the City side not only has a battery of good coaches, but also many world class artificial pitches around them to train.
“This is the first time that we are playing in the final after making our debut three years ago, so we will be out to claimn our first JHL silverware,” warned KLSS team manager Zainal Ariffin Abdullah.
His confidence stems from the fact that while Kelantan have lost their play-maker to a red card, KLSS can bank on their top scorer Noor Faiz Rosli, who has scored 11 goals in nine matches.
“Kelantan have proven that they are fighters as they came back from two goals down to beat Politeknik 4-3 in the sudden death so we will have to be extra careful, but I believe my players can overcome the odds,” said Zainal.
TODAY: Division Two Final: Kelantan v KLSS (7pm); Third-Fourth: Anderson Juniors v Politeknik PKT (5pm).
Both matches at Pitch II, National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Kelantan-KLSS in Milo Cup
KUALA Lumpur Sports School (KLSS) and Kelantan yesterday confirmed their spots in the NSC-Milo-MHC JUnior Hockey League Milo Cup quarter-finals starting on Feb 22.
In the Division Two semi-finals yesterday, Kelantan came back from two goals down to beat Politeknik PKT in sudden-death after both both teams were tied 3-3 in regulation time. In the other semis, KLSS beat Anderson Juniors 5-1 with ease.
The Division Two finals, and bronze match, will be played on Sunday but KLSS and Kelantan have already booked their tickets to play with Division One teams Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, Petaling Jaya City Council, UniKL, Andersons, Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School Juniors and Malacca High School.
The top three teams SSTMI, PJCC, UniKL and Andersons are seeded while the other three will draw lots on Monday to determine their opponents.
Yesterday, the KLSS goals were scored by Nur Faiz Rosli (third, 46th), Jagveen Singh (34th), Adib Zahiruddin (42nd), Zulhazwan Hashim (55th). The Anderson Juniors consolation was scored by Najme Ahmad (60th).
The Politeknik goals were scored by Kamarul Ariffin (11th, 55th), Arif Ibrahim (28th); while Kelantan replied off Shahrul Akhimullah (32nd), Fitri Zaidi (35th) and Fitri Zairi (49th) to take the match into extra-time.
And Saufian Othman nailed the extra-time winner for Kelantan off a penalty corner attempt to take his side into the Milo Cup.
However, Kelantan lost their key player Ashraf Noor to a red card in the 72nd minute and he will be sorely missed in the Division Two finals, as well as the Milo Cup.
"It was a bruising win as not only did we have to come back from two goals down, but also lost our key player Ashraf to a red card. Now, we wil be the underdogs in the Division Two final, as well as the knock-out Milo Cup," said Kelantan coach Hamzi Shaari.
Meanwhile, the national juniors hockey team left for Bangalore, India, yesterday to compete in the Bangalore Super League which has 14 teams.
Coach Dharmaraj's boys will be in India for two weeks, as an early preparation for the Junior World Cup on Dec 5-16.
However, their appearance is only as sparring partners, as their matches will not be counted on the standings.
DIVISION TWO: Semi-finals -- Kelantan 3 Politeknik PKT 3 (Kelantan win on sudden-death goal), Kuala Lumpur Sports School 5 Anderson Juniors 1.
SUNDAY: Division Two Final: Kelantan v KLSS (7pm); Third-Fourth: Anderson Juniors v Politeknik PKT (5pm).
Both matches at National Stadium Bukit Jalil.
In the Division Two semi-finals yesterday, Kelantan came back from two goals down to beat Politeknik PKT in sudden-death after both both teams were tied 3-3 in regulation time. In the other semis, KLSS beat Anderson Juniors 5-1 with ease.
The Division Two finals, and bronze match, will be played on Sunday but KLSS and Kelantan have already booked their tickets to play with Division One teams Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, Petaling Jaya City Council, UniKL, Andersons, Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School Juniors and Malacca High School.
The top three teams SSTMI, PJCC, UniKL and Andersons are seeded while the other three will draw lots on Monday to determine their opponents.
Yesterday, the KLSS goals were scored by Nur Faiz Rosli (third, 46th), Jagveen Singh (34th), Adib Zahiruddin (42nd), Zulhazwan Hashim (55th). The Anderson Juniors consolation was scored by Najme Ahmad (60th).
The Politeknik goals were scored by Kamarul Ariffin (11th, 55th), Arif Ibrahim (28th); while Kelantan replied off Shahrul Akhimullah (32nd), Fitri Zaidi (35th) and Fitri Zairi (49th) to take the match into extra-time.
And Saufian Othman nailed the extra-time winner for Kelantan off a penalty corner attempt to take his side into the Milo Cup.
However, Kelantan lost their key player Ashraf Noor to a red card in the 72nd minute and he will be sorely missed in the Division Two finals, as well as the Milo Cup.
"It was a bruising win as not only did we have to come back from two goals down, but also lost our key player Ashraf to a red card. Now, we wil be the underdogs in the Division Two final, as well as the knock-out Milo Cup," said Kelantan coach Hamzi Shaari.
Meanwhile, the national juniors hockey team left for Bangalore, India, yesterday to compete in the Bangalore Super League which has 14 teams.
Coach Dharmaraj's boys will be in India for two weeks, as an early preparation for the Junior World Cup on Dec 5-16.
However, their appearance is only as sparring partners, as their matches will not be counted on the standings.
DIVISION TWO: Semi-finals -- Kelantan 3 Politeknik PKT 3 (Kelantan win on sudden-death goal), Kuala Lumpur Sports School 5 Anderson Juniors 1.
SUNDAY: Division Two Final: Kelantan v KLSS (7pm); Third-Fourth: Anderson Juniors v Politeknik PKT (5pm).
Both matches at National Stadium Bukit Jalil.
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