Into the lion's den...

16-year-old Kavin Kartik (centre) will be closely watched in the MHL.

THE National Juniors will be thrown into the lion’s den when they square off against TNB Cup champions Tenaga Nasional in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) on Oct 17.
Coach by former Tenaga coach K. Rajan, the juniors are expected to face a challenging time in the MHL, which is a first step towards preparing for the Junior World Cup next year.
“We have had good training matches against Tenaga and Maybank, where my boys lost by two or one goal only. The shape is there, and only the defense is still a little shaky,” said Rajan.
The coach has named his best 22 for the MHL, while Maybank has roped in five juniors, Tenaga one and Sapura one.
“The whole training team will be playing in the MHL as seven of them have been selected by other teams and it will give me a chance to see how they perform against current and former internationals,” said Rajan.
The youngest junior is 16-year-old Kavin Kartik from Negri Sembilan, who was selected into the training squad after an impressive performance in the Razak Cup.
Negri beat Kuala Lumpur, the eventual champions, 2-0 in the Razak Cup with both goals coming from Kavin.
“The team is physically much better than when they played in the Razak Cup, and I will be expecting much more from them.”
And after more than a decade, a Chinese boy has also managed to make the national squad in Wong Khee Hon.
NATIONAL JUNIORS: Asmawi Zaidi (goalkeeper), Hairi Rahman (goalkeeper), R. Nadesh, Ahmad Kazamirul, Sybrie Shamsudin, Nor Hafiq Gaffar, Marhan Jalil, Noor Khairul Azrain, Khairil Isa, Izzat Rahim, Jamil Saidin, Andika Norarahis, Izwan Firdaus, S. Aneshkumar, Razlee Amree, Fareez Ismail, Wong Khee Hon, Kavin Kartik, Khairul Azwan Hamid, Harvinder Singh, Azreen Rizal Nasir, Sabri Mohamad.

Penang HA to meet Tengku Abdullah

PENANG HA will be among those who will meet Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad on Oct 18, and only then submit their nominations for the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) elections.
Penang, with three votes in their hands including that of treasurer S. Sanjilatheeban, first want to brief Tengku Abdullah on the present state of the MHF, and then listen to how he can help the sport before nominating their man for the No 1 and No 2 posts.
“We (Penang HA) will attend the meeting with Tengku Abdullah where we will tell him about the true state of the MHF. And after listening to his plans for the sport, and if he agrees to stand, we will throw our support behind him,” said Penang HA secretary Ranjit Singh.
The truth is that MHF is a fast sinking ship, with the national team ranked a miserable 15th in the world, and their coffers are dry and need an urgent infusion of funds.
The MHF elections will be held on Nov 1, with nominations closing on Oct 25.
The present MHF president Tan Sri (rtd) Admiral Admiral Anwar Mohd Nor and his deputy Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar have also expressed interest in seeking another term, but the scene might change after Tengku Abdullah makes his stand.
“We need someone who is truly interested in the sport, and will be hands on to make some crucial decisions as the sport is facing hard times right now.
“Also, we have the Junior World Cup next year, and need someone who can get cracking immediately after the elections, as much still needs to be done,” said Ranjit.
A delegation of about 15 affiliates are expected to meet Tengku Abdullah at a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 18, and the nominations are expected to start coming in after they hear his views.
To date, Malacca HA deputy president and two-term MHF vice-president Nur Azmi Ahmad has stated his intention to stand for the deputy president’s post, but there might be massive winds of chance if the affiliates manage to convince Tengku Abdullah to become the next president of the MHF.

Tunku Majid all for change

MALAYSIAN Hockey Federation (MHF) deputy president Tunku Majid Sultan Iskandar has no qualms about Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah becoming the next president of the Federation.
Tunku Majid and present president Tan Sri (rtd) Admiral Anwar Mohd Nor had come to an agreement that the person which gets the highest number of nominations will become the next president, but the entry of another Royal candidate has changed the scenario.
The MHF elections will be held on Nov 1, with nominations closing on Oct 25.
“I will go with what the states want, if they want me to carry on, I will continue my work in the MHF. And I have no problems working with Tengku Abdullah, if he decides to come into the Federation.
“Tengku Abdullah has done a good job as deputy president of the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia), and I am sure if he comes into hockey, it will be to the sports gain,” said Tunku Majid.
When Tengku Abdullah was asked in Kuantan on Sept 24, his reply was that he wanted to know more about MHF before making a decision.
“Other than an individual contacting me, I have not spoken to anyone about going for the post of MHF president. However, if there are some who feel that I can be considered for the post, I suggest they meet me,” Tengku Abdullah had said then.
And taking the cue from there, 10 to 15 present council members are expected to meet him on Oct 18, when he is highly likely to seek election for the president’s post.
“This is not a political or a paid post, so whoever that wants to come in as No 1, No 2, No 3 and so on must be prepared to clock in the hours.
“It will be useless if they come in just for one term and then say their goodbye. Interested candidates must have a long- term interest and work to achieve the targets,” said Tunku Majid.
MHF secretary Sgt Hashim Yusoff said even though nom inations opened on Oct 3, he has yet to receive any paperwork from the states.
“It looks like all the states are waiting for more information from their desired candidates before committing themselves. I expect the nominations to start coming in after Oct 18,” said Hashim.

Two Bangladeshis and seven Indians

NUR-INSAFI Penang will field seven India, and two Bangladesh players in Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) which starts on Oct 17.
And Sapura will be parading two South Koreans in Kim Jung Chul and Song Seung Tae.
The two Bangladeshis, a first for the MHL, are Rasel Mahmud and Mamunur Rahman Chayan while the seven from India are goalkeeper Sanjay Kukreti, Kul Bhusan Vashist, Ramesh Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Ajay Kumar,
Mubeen Ur Rehman and Prem Kumar.
Prem Kumar and Deepak Kumar helped them to the Division Two title last season and are back again.
“The rules are clear on foreign players, Nur-Insafi Penang can field all nine players, and only two locals when playing. It should not be a problem,” said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary Sgt Hashim Yusoff.
The Penang team has initially refused promotion from Division Two to Division One, as they felt they were not strong enough, but with nine foreign players, their opening en counter against League champions Ernst and Young will shed some light on their true strength.
The MHL will have six teams in Division One, and none teams in Division Two this year.
Tenaga Nasional are the TNB Cup holders.

Cool million from Tenaga Nasional

TENAGA Nasional Berhad are set to power the TNB- Malaysia Hockey League on Oct 17 again, after an RM1 million sponsorship agreement was signed yesterday.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) were repre sented by their vice-president Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema, while TNB their Chief Operating Officer Datuk Sri Che Khalib Mohamd Noh (pic), who is also an MHF vice-president.
Also present at the function were National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkeples Embong and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi.
“We are very grateful with Tenaga Nasional’s continued support of hockey, and this is the third year that they will be with us. The money will not only help run a smoother MHL, but also fund some of our other development programmes,” said Dr Cheema.
Datuk Zolkeples was also happy with this corporate spon sorship: “In 1998 when we hosted the Commonwealth Games, there were 27 sponsors behind 28 sports. But today, sadly, only a handful have remained loyal to their Rakan Sukan (partner in sport), and TNB are one of those who have not forgotten their responsibilities.”
The MHL will have six teams in Division One, and nine teams in Division Two. Ernst and Young are the defending League champions, while Tenaga Nasional hold the TNB Cup.
Tenaga have six national players for the MHL, and two of them were voted as outstanding players in the Hamburg Masters.
S. Kumar was awarded the Best Goalkeeper, while Amin Rahim as the Best Player in the International Invitational where Malaysia ended second behind World No 1 Germany.
Meanwhile, Dr Cheema in his speech stressed the im portance of starting indoor hockey aggressively in Malaysia.
“There are numerous benefits which can be derived from the indoor game, which will help strengthen the base for outdoor hockey national selection.
“I hope TNB will start the ball rolling, as they have the funds to have an indoor court built,” said Dr Cheema.
Che Khalib was also keen on the idea: “We are keen on it, and it is an idea worth exploring.”
The three MHF vice-presidents present yesterday, Cheema, Che Khalib and Datuk Abdul Rahim Ariff were however, non-committal on their biennial elections.
“We still have until Oct 25 (when nominations close), so lets wait some more before making any comments on the elec tions,” said the three veeps.