Former Malaysian greats give back...

 UNIKL development players with former Malaysian greats

  UNIKL development players with former Malaysian greats

Batch of 1990-1993 with their coaches, manager and team doctor.

Pic: from left -- Khairuddin, Ramlan, Paramalingam and Satwant Singh.

FORMER national players from the batch of 1990-1993 held a coaching clinic and then a friendly match with University Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Under-16 development players at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium Saturday.
  And on the stands watching them were their former  team manager Tan Sri Nordin Hassan, chief coach C. Paramalingam, assistant coach Malek Kiew, goalkeeper coach Khairuddin Zainal and team Doctor Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz. 
  Khairuddin is best remembered for keeping goal when Malaysia finished fourth in the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup -- Malaysia's best achievement ever.
  UniKL development coach R. Vivekanandan and goalkeepers coach M. Nadarajan organised the fun-filled event for children as young as five-years-old.
  "This coaching clinic as well as match was held with former Malaysian national players, some of whom played in the Olympics and World Cups, to inspire our youth to reach for the sky," said Vivekanandan.
  Some household names from the batch who turned up were three-time Olympian Mirnawan Nawawi, two-time Olympian Maninderjit Singh, Dr Calvin Fernandez , Suhairi Saidi, Lam Mun Fatt and Arul Selvaraj.
  Maninderjit said: "We had coaches who literally made us sweat blood but in the end, we had the pleasure of representing the country at the highest level."
  Two which Khairuddin replied: "It is better to cry during hard training, that cry after losing a match. Those who train really hard, are the ones who achieve something in their lives."
  The free UniKL coaching clinic for players and goalkeepers is held every Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Azlan Shah Cup: Kumar and Baljit out...

SELECTED: JOEL SAMUEL VAN HUIZEN

NATIONAL coach Stephen van Huizen named his final 18 for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on April 6-16, and the mission is not to finish seventh in the 25th Edition.
  Malaysia finished at the bottom of the six-team pool in the last edition, and looking at the opponents, it will be another battle to keep afloat in Ipoh.
  Missing from the list was No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar who tore his adductor muscle, around his left groin, while playing in the last Test against Australia in Perth 10 days ago.
  Also absent was stalwart defender Baljit Singh.
  "Five minutes into the match against Australia i suffered a pull around my left thigh area and later found out it was a tear which needed at least four weeks to recovery to heal.
  "It is better I sit out the tournament and allow our two younger goalkeepers to play and go through my recovery programme. I will definitely miss the tournament, but this is not the first time," said Kumar.
  In 2014, Kumar suffered a similar tear and it was on his right thigh.
  The two goalkeepers selected by Stephen are Hairi Abdul Rahman and Hafizuddin Othman.
  "Not having Kumar for the tournament is a big blow as he has been training hard for it and played well in the Australian and New Zealand Tours.
  "However, looking at the bright side, I will get to test my other two goalkeepers in this tournament as we prepare to qualify for the World Cup and Olympics -- which are the bigger agenda," said van Huizen.
  Malaysia will be playing against defending champions New Zealand, world No 1 Australia, India, Canada, Pakistan and Japan. The first four teams have qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
  Van Huizen will also be trying out defender Najib Abu Hassan, midfielder Joel Samuel van Huizen and forward Nik Aiman Rozemi.
  "These are the new faces who will be tried out in the tournament while we give some old hands a rest.
  "We already know the strength of players like Baljit, and that's why he has been rested while we give others a chance to play. This is a team for the future as we strive to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics," said van Huizen.
  MALAYSIA -- Goalkeepers: Hairi Abdul Rahman, Hafizuddin Othman; Defenders: Najib Abu Hassa, Shukri Mutalib, Razie Rahim, Faiz Helmi, Izad Hakimi; Midfielders: Marhan Jalil, Fitri Shaari, Joel Samuel van Huizen, Nabil Fiqri, Meor Azuan; Forwards: Ramadan Rosli, Haziq Samsul, Firhan Ashaari, Nik Aiman Rozemi, Shahril Saabah, Rashid Baharom.

Dhanraj Pillay's take on Azlan Shah Cup...

NATIONAL coach Stephen van Huizen will name his 18 players Friday, for an uphill battle in the 25th Edition of the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on April 6-16.
  Four Olympic teams Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada will battle for the Silver Jubilee title alongside Pakistan, Japan and the hosts.
  For the record, Malaysia have never won gold in this home-grown tournament, and only have five silver medals (1985, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014) to show.
  The tournament has seen all the best teams in the world competing over the years. Australia are the regulars, while Germany, Netherlands, India, Argentina, New Zealand and South Korea are among the nations who have stood tall on the podium.
  Former India skipper Dhanraj Pillay summed up the importance of the tournament in the world Hockey calendar when he said: "An international hockey players resume is not complete if he has not played in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup."
  Dhanraj, who played in the Cup from 1989 to 1999, captained his side to two titles in 1991 and 1995.
  "This is truly a world class tournament, and every Hockey player should have played it it to claim they have done it all in the sport," said Dhanraj.
  "I was privileged to have played in this tournament from 1989 to 1999 and enjoyed all the experiences. For me, its a truly a world class event and only steps behind  the Olympics, World Cup and Champions Trophy.
  "I feel proud that Malaysia has kept the tournament going for 25 editions as it provides an opportunity for players to showcase their talents."
  Dhanraj said that he had many bitter sweet memories of the tournament but said that getting a chance to meet the late Sultan Azlan Shah was priceless.
  "Sultan Azlan will watch all the matches and plays a perfect host as he was very friendly and had the interest of hockey at heart," added Dhanraj who had also played for several teams in the Malaysian Hockey League.
  The national team went on a recent 10-match Tour in New Zealand and Australia to prepare for the Azlan Shah Cup, but are not expected to make an impact.
  They will open accounts against defending champions New Zealand on April 6.

WJHL: UniKL just want to have fun...

UNIKL Young Guns have been told by their coach R. Vivekanandan to 'have fun' in the Women's Junior Hockey League quarter-finals against Kuala Lumpur Wipers tomorrow.
  For, the experienced coach knows that his charges are not expected to beat Group B champions KL Wipers. UniKL finished fourth in Group A, barely making the quarter-finals cut.
  "We only had six days of training for this inaugural WJHL and I am very proud of my girls because they made the quarter-finals. On the other hand, KL Wipers have been training and playing together for many years and I expect them to have the upper hand.
  "That is why, I told my my charges to have fun, and don't worry too much about their much superior opponents," said Vivekanandan.
  From Group A, League champions SSTMI Thunderbolts are the team to beat. They won all six matches with convincing scores, and will play fourth played Group B team MSNT-SMKPM.
  Fourteen teams competed in the inaugural WJHL.


 FINAL STANDINGS

GROUP A


                P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
SSTMI T'NDER    6  6  0  0  36 1  18
SOUTHERN GIRLS  6  3  1  2  12 7  10
SABAH SS        6  3  1  2  12 9  10
UNIKL           6  2  3  1  9  10 9
SELANGOR GIRLS  6  2  2  2  8  8  8
SMK ZA'ABA      6  1  1  4  4  20 4
SMK HUSSEIN ONN 6  0  0  6  1  27 0

GROUP B

                P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
KL WIPERS       6  5  1  0  35 6  16
MUTIARA IMPIAN  6  4  1  1  21 9  13
MSN KEDAH       6  4  0  2  33 13 12
MSNT-SMKPM      6  4  0  2  25 12 12
HIGHLANDERS     6  2  0  4  14 20  6
YP-MSP-PHP      6  1  0  5  9  22  3
SULTAN IBRAHIM  6  0  0  6  0  55  0

  TOMORROW: Quarter-finals: SSTMI Thunderbolts v MSNT-SMKPM (Pitch I, 6pm), Mutiara Impian v Sabah Sports School (Pitch II, 6pm), Southern Girls v MSN Kedah (Pitch I, 8pm), Kuala Lumpur Wipers v UniKL Young Guns (Pitch II, 8pm).
  FRIDAY: MSNT-SMKPM v SSTMI Thunderbolts (Pitch I, 6pm), Sabah Sports School v Mutiara Impian (Pitch II, 6pm), MSN Kedah v Southern Girls (Pitch I, 8pm), UniKL Young Guns v Kuala Lumpur Wipers (Pitch II, 8pm).

Priceless friendlies in Changzhou...

THE Malaysian women's hockey team ended their five-match series with a 2-0 defeat to China Juniors in Changzhou Sunday.
  The closest they came to beating the China team was a 2-2 draw, but lost the other four 4-0, 2-1, 2-1 and 2-0.
  The Malaysian women's team have played in two World Leagues but always fail to progress into the Semi-Finals. Their campaign always ends at Round Two.
  "The China friendlies has shown that the team is dedicated and disciplined even though I have only had a short stint with them.
  "The girls progressed in every match after starting with a 4-0 defeat, after which, they did not let China score more than two goals in each match," said women's coach K. Dharmaraj.
  Dharmaraj's charges are preparing for the World League Round Two which Malaysia will host at the end of this year. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) have yet to confirm the dates.
  "I believe these girls have potential to move into the WL Semi-finals, and with more training matches, they can break the ceiling and move higher on the world rankings," said Dharmaraj.
  "Youngsters like Hanis Nadiah and Wan Norfaezah were fantastic here. They have the talent and tenacity required to carve a name for themselves internationally. This provides much promise for the future", added Dharmaraj.
  The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have finally started to recognise women's hockey by hosting the inaugural Women's Junior Hockey League this season.
  And taking another step, MHC will also hold a Women's Razak Cup, alongside the men's tournament, for the first time this year. The Raja Noora Ashikin Cup will no longer be held.