Johor hold KL 1-1

JOHOR made a strong second half comeback to hold Kuala Lumpur to a 1-1 draw in Division One of the Razak Cup in Kuantan yesterday.
KL took the lead off Tajol Rosli in the 15th minute, but a penalty corner attempt from Baljit Singh Sarjab in the 68th minute gave Johor half the spoils.
KL coach Nor Saiful Zaini sees this hiccup as a wake-up call for his players.
"The players were made to understand today (yesterday) that they are not the champions in this tournament, and unlike the past, it is not going to be a walk in the park into the final," said Nor Saiful, as KL have 19 Razak Cup titles under their belt.
"We had plenty of chances in the first half, and a total of six penalty corners, but failed to score the second goal which we went looking for in the second half.
"Instead, we had to share points because Johor dug deep and relied on counter attacks, while our forwards were blunt," said Nor Saiful.
Johor coach Gurmit Singh lamented the fact that they could have walked away with full points,
"There was total commitment from my players and we had the match in hand in the secon half as KL players looked tired after pressing hard in the first half.
"However, I am still happy that we stole the thunder from KL, and I am looking forward to a better fnish than last year (Johor were fourth)," said Gurmit.

RESULTS: Division One -- Kuala Lumpur 1 Johor 1, Armed Forces 2 Penang 3, Malacca 0 Perak 2; Division Two: Group B: Terengganu 3 Pahang 5, Selangor 7 Brunei 0.
TODAY: Rest Day
TOMORROW: Division One -- Armed Forces v Malacca (3pm), Penang v Johor (5pm), Negri v Kuala Lumpur (7pm); Division Two: Police v Kedah (3pm), Sabah v Singapore (5pm).
All matches at Pitch I and II of the Kuantan Stadium.

Johor lack fitness to challenge KL

JOHOR were frank enough to admit that they do not have the players to stop Kuala Lumpur’s advance in Division One of the Razak Cup at the Kuantan Stadium today.
Both the teams clashed for the bronze medal last year, with Johor coming our battered and bruised when they lost 6-3.
“We have some good players in our team, but fitness is not on our side as we did not have enough time to train for this tournament,” said Johor team manager Sarjit Singh.
Johor have two penalty corner flickers in their outfit, but both of them, according to Sarjit, are a little rusty.
“Baljit (Singh) and Nor Hafiq (Gaffar) have yet to get their act together after two matches, while KL’s Amin Rahim is in top form.
“I believe KL would go the distance this year, as they have a good penalty corner flicker in Amin,” said Sarjit.
Johor, even though with a hastily assembled a team, feel they are good enough to play for the bronze again.
“So far, the beat teams are KL and Perak, who I predict will play in the final. As for Johor, we aim to play in the bronze play-off,” said Sarjit.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Datuk Dr S.S Cheema veterans hockey tournament will be held at the Kelab Aman grounds today.
Eight teams have confirmed for the tournament, which is for those who are 40 and above.
Kelab Aman are the defending champions while the others who will be gunning for the title are Ipoh Lads, Mugs, Talisman, Thirty-Fifty Ipoh, Penang Sports Club, Air Force Veterans, Negri Sembilan Sikh Union.
RESULTS: Division Two: Selangor 3 Perlis 1, Sabah 2 Kelantan 3, Singapore x Kedah x.
TODAY: Division One -- Kuala Lumpur v Johor (3pm), Armed Forces v Penang (5pm), Malacca v Perak (7pm); Division Two: Terengganu v Pahang (3pm), Selangor v Brunei (5pm).
SUNDAY: Rest Day
MONDAY: Division One -- Armed Forces v Malacca (3pm), Penang v Johor (5pm), Negri v Kuala Lumpur (7pm); Division Two: Police v Kedah (3pm), Sabah v Singapore (5pm).
All matches at Pitch I and II of the Kuantan Stadium.

STANDINGS

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
K LUMPUR 2 2 0 0 8 1 6
PERAK 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
JOHOR 2 1 0 1 3 4 3
N SEMBILAN 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
MALACCA 2 0 1 1 0 2 1
FORCES 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
PENANG 1 0 0 1 1 6 0


DIVISION TWO

GROUP A

P W D L F A Pts
KELANTAN 2 2 0 0 6 3 6
SINGAPORE 1 1 0 0 4 1 3
SABAH 1 0 0 1 2 3 0
KEDAH 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
POLICE 1 0 0 1 1 4 0

GROUP B

P W D L F A Pts
PAHANG 1 1 0 0 9 0 3
SELANGOR 1 1 0 0 3 1 3
PERLIS 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
BRUNEI 1 0 0 1 0 9 0
TERENGGANU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Johor Baru District HA calling for entries

THE Johor Baru District HA are calling for entries for their Close League tournament which is scheduled to start in the first week of April.
The league matches will be played during weekends at the MBJB Hockey Stadiums in Jalan Tebrau and in Taman Daya.
So far nine teams have confirmed their entries and they are JB Harimau, Johor Police, Johor Sikhs Sports Club, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar, Combined Banks, JB Teachers, Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Perling and Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang.
Entries close on March 31 and teams interested to compete in the league can contact secretary Harbhajan Singh at 07- 2211377/07-2219377 or e-mail sssssb66@yahoo.com

Datuk Dr S.S. Cheema veterans tournament

THE FIFTH Datuk Dr S.S Cheema veterans hockey tour nament will be held at the Kelab Aman grounds today (27-03-10).
Eight teams have confirmed for the tournament, which is for those who are 40 and above.
Kelab Aman are the defending champions while the others who will be gunning for the title are Ipoh Lads, Mugs, Talisman, Thirty-Fifty Ipoh, Penang Sports Club, Air Force Veterans, Negri Sembilan Sikh Union.

KL hammer Penang 6-1

PERAK beat Johor 2-0 in Division One of the 48th Razak Cup and are now among the early contenders to play in the final, with Kuala Lumpur likely to be their main hurdle.
The Silver State, who had beaten Negri Sembilan 3-1 in their opening encounter on Thursday, had control of the match but muffed many chances which could have taken their tally higher.
In the end, penalty corner goals from Hairul Nizam (48th) and Sabri Mohamed (55th) gave them the full points.
“We had the match in control, but muffed many chances but still, I am happy with the three points which keeps us afloat in this tournament,” said Perak coach Manjit Singh.
Manjit felt that the next match on Saturday against Malac ca could decide if his men will go the distance.
“We have a day’s rest after which we will play Malacca who have assembled a good team this year.
“And if we play like the first two matches, I am confident we will be in the running to play in the final,” said Manjit Singh.
Negri Sembilan and Malacca, however, played to a goal- less draw yesterday, indicating that Perak have a good chance to achieving their dream against Malacca today.
RESULTS -- Division One: Johor 0 Perak 2, Malacca 0 Negri Sembilan 0, Kuala Lumpur 6 Penang 1.
Division Two: Singapore 4 Police 1, Kedah 1 Kelantan 3.
TODAY: Division Two: Selangor v Perlis (3pm), Sabah v Kelantan (5pm), Singapore v Kedah (7pm).
TOMORROW: Division One -- Kuala Lumpur v Johor (3pm), Armed Forces v Penang (5pm), Malacca v Perak (7pm).
Division Two: Terengganu v Pahang (3pm), Selangor v Brunei (5pm).

STANDINGS

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
K LUMPUR 2 2 0 0 8 1 6
PERAK 2 2 0 0 5 1 6
JOHOR 2 1 0 1 3 4 3
N SEMBILAN 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
MALACCA 2 0 1 1 0 2 1
PENANG 1 0 0 1 1 6 0
FORCES 1 0 0 1 2 3 0

DIVISION TWO

GROUP A

P W D L F A Pts
SINGAPORE 1 1 0 0 4 1 3
KELANTAN 1 1 0 0 3 1 3
KEDAH 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
POLICE 1 0 0 1 1 4 0
SABAH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GROUP B

P W D L F A Pts
PAHANG 1 1 0 0 9 0 3
BRUNEI 1 0 0 1 0 9 0
SELANGOR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PERLIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TERENGGANU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0