UniKL v BJSS on level field

LAST season's double champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) will get
a second chance to salvage some pride when thy square off against UniKL
in the semi-finals of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League on Friday.
The other semi-final will be between Bandar Penawar Sports School
Thunderbolt and the winners of the delayed quarter-finals between Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors and Petaling Jaya City Council today.
The fixtures were re-drawn to acommodate BPSS Juniors as six of their
players only returned last night from a German Under-16 Four-Nation
where Malaysia finished second.
BJSS, who beat Sabah 4-0 even without four Under-16 boys who were in
Germany, will start on level terms against UniKL as in the League
encounter, the score was 1-1.
"Four of my under-16 boys played in Germany and only returned today
(yesterday) and it would strenghten the team when we play UniKL in the
semis.
"In the last eight against Sabah, I had to use some of my reserve
defenders as forwards, and were lucky as Kavin (Kartik) scored a penalty
corner hat-trick," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
UniKL hold a slight psychological edge, as they finished second in the
league, while BJSS were third.
UniKL coach I. Vickneswaran, whose boys struggled against Division
Two outfit Pahang before winning 4-2 in the quarters, feels they will be in
for a bumpy ride in their quest to lay in the final.
"We had to come from a goal down to force a draw in the League, and I
expect another tough battle on Friday as BJSS players have been training
together for a long time and have a better understanding than my players
who only had one months training before they played in their first JHL
match," said Vickneswaran.
TODAY: Quarter-finals: Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors v
Petaling Jaya City Council (Tun Razak, 4pm).
FRIDAY: Semi-finals: BPSS Thunderbolt v BPSS Juniors or PJCC (Tun
Razak 4pm); UniKL v BJSS (Tun Razak, 6pm).

Thunderbolt hammer 9 past Ipoh

BANDAR Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt, as expected, steamrolled Ipoh City Council 9-1 in the quarter-finals of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.
Thunderbolt will have to wait until Thursday to find out their opponents in the semi-finals, because the quarter-finals between Petaling Jaya City Council and Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors had to be delayed to wait for six BPSS boys who went to Germany for a Four-Nation.
In the other Quarter-finals yesterday, Bukit Jalil Sports School beat Sabah 4-0, while UniKL beat Pahang 4-2.
Bukit Jali will meet UniKL in the semi-finals on Friday.
The Bukit Jalil hero was Kavin Kartik who scored a hat-rick in the 16th, 32nd and 51st. The other goal was scored by Dangerous Lee in the 43rd minute.
Thunderbolt, the newly crowned League champions, took 15 minutes to settle down before routing Ipoh CC, who finished third in Division Two.
Thunderbolt got their goals off Faizal Saari (19th, 31st, 57th), Firhan Ashaari (15th, 68th), Fitri Saari (16th), Faiz Helmi Jali (24th), Shaiful Nizam Aswan (46th) and Fahmi Zainal Abidin (52nd).
The Ipoh consolation was scored by Azrul Fazri in the 50th minute.
As for UniKL, their goal-getters were Nor Hizat Sumantri (58th, 65th), Sabri Mohamed (second) and Manraj Singh (19th).
Fahmi Abdullah (10th) and Zulhannan Mazlan (67th) scored for Pahang.
Thunderbolt coach Wan Roslan Rahman was surprised with the big win, as he expected a tough fight.
"I had planned for a tougher encounter, but surprisingly, Ipoh collapsed like dominoes after we scored the first goal in the 15th minute.
"It was a good show, and also a good warm-up for my players and now we will have to wait until Thursday to know our opponents."
However, the coach prefers to meet BPSS Juniors, who are also his boys.
"I hope the six BPSS Junior players overcome their jet-lag fast, as they will return tomorrow (today) and only have one rest day before playing PJCC. It would be great if BPSS Juniors advance to the semi-finals," said Roslan.
RESULTS: Quarter-finals: Bukit Jalil Sports School 4 Sabah 0; Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt 9 Ipoh City Council 1; UniKL 4 Pahang 2.
THURSDAY: Quarter-finals: Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors v Petaling Jaya City Council (Tun Razak, 4pm).
FRIDAY: Semi-finals: BPSS Thunderbolt v BPSS Juniors or PJCC (Tun Razak 4pm); UniKL v BJSS (Tun Razak, 6pm).

They don't make teachers like Cikgu Siva anymore

COMMENT
By Jugjet Singh

THE don’t make teachers like V. Sivapathasundram any more.
Cikgu Siva, as he was fondly called, died on Sunday at the age of 68, leaving behind a hockey legacy which will be hard to match by others in Tunku Besar Secondary School (TBSS) in Tampin, Negri Sembilan.
I know it for a fact, as I played for him in the Under-15 and Under-18 squads in TBSS, where I studied from 1981 to 1987.
Siva joined TBSS in 1963, after graduating from Brinsford in the United Kingdom, and stayed put for the next 32 years until his retirement, making the store-room next to the school field as his second home.
His ‘room’ only had a squeaky fan, an old type-writer and a can full of cigarettes which he chain-smoked behind the closed door, and plotted the downfall of two Seremban hockey powerhouses.
St Paul’s Institution, who had hockey Gurus Lawrence Van Huizen and William Fidelis, and the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye in King George the Fifth (KGV) was just the right tonic that Negri Sembilan needed in those days to spur the growth of hockey.
The rivalry among the three schools was so intense, that the Seremban Town Field used to be packed to the brim, with even the sidelines encroached, when there was a match between TBSS and either KGV or SPI.
His first success in hockey was N. Palanisamy, who played in the 1971 and 1975 World Cups, and also the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
There were many others after that who were coached to become the best in the country, with the likes of brothers Lee Sien Lam and Lee Sien Hock, his son Dr Brian Jayhan Siva, Nishel Kumar; and 1982 Junior World Cup goalkeepers Azhar Epi and Mohamed Fadzil so name some.
His last product is current national No 1, and among the best in the world, goalkeeper S. Kumar.
Siva has also worked his magic as assistant secretary to S. Satgunam in the Malaysian Hockey Federation, the MHF Umpires Board Chairman, Secretary of the Negri Sembilan HA, and various positions in the Tampin District HA with the last being its deputy president.
He was also the hockey team manager for the 1995 Chiangmai Sea Games team, which was skippered by current national coach tai Beng Hai.
The list of umpires an hockey officials produced under his administration in Negri Sembilan is also impressive, and many were touched by his demise.
Siva made it a culture for hockey players in TBSS to have a stick with them at all limes, as the sport was played during Physical Education periods, and in the evenings from 4pm to 6pm.
He was also a visionary who saw the need to build a miniature cement hockey pitch in TBSS in the early 80s, so that his boys could train in an artificial pitch like atmosphere, and not be left out when they headed to Kuala Lumpur to play in tournaments.
After his retirement, TBSS took a beating from schools which they used to hammer earlier, and Datuk Taha of Gemencheh, rose to become the best school in the State after they received half an artificial pitch from the National Sports Council.
However, TBSS crawled back in the last few years, when a full artificial pitch was laid in the school and Siva’s former students returned to their alma matter to coach.
Siva was actively involved in developing youth in Tampin as recent as two months ago, but stopped when his health took a turn for the worse. A true coach until the end.
Hockey lost a great man, who worked in the shadows to elevate its standard without expecting to be rewarded, and he was never rewarded when he was alive, but received brickbats for being a disciplinarian.
He is also the reason why the MHF started Yayasan Hoki to help players who wanted to further their studies.
It came about when his son Brian scored straight As and wanted to pursue his ambition to become a doctor but scholarships were scarce.
Siva approached the then MHF Deputy President Tan Sri P. Alagendra for a solution, and in Alagendra’s own words: “If not for Siva, we would not have started Yayasan Hoki with Brian as its first recipient.”
After that, Yayasan Hoki came to the aid of many players who now hold degrees in numerous fields.
They don’t make teachers like Siva anymore, as he gave more than he took from everyone that he knew.

Sure death in Commonwealth Games

By Ajitpal Singh

MALAYSIA have been drawn in the 'Group of Death' for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games men's hockey competition. The team are in Pool A alongside world champions Australia, India, Pakistan and Scotland.
England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago make up Pool B for the event scheduled to be played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Oct 4-14.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) has said that the New Delhi Commonwealth Games should be treated as nothing more than a build-up towards the Guangzhou Asian Games (Nov 12-27) where the gold medallist earns a place in the 2010 London Olympic Games.
National coach Stephen van Huizen picked a pool of 30 trainees early this year with the intention of mixing and matching his players for both tournaments.
"Of course, the Guangzhou Games is top priority for all Asian teams including India and Pakistan who both are also competing in the Commonwealth Games," said Van Huizen yesterday.
"I have 30 players in my training squad. We will threat both tournaments with equal importance but the Asian Games will be given extra emphasis.
"We have not decided on the squad for either tournament. It will decided after a few international matches and the availability of players."
Malaysia have one confirmed tournament in Dahlian, China in July. Van Huizen is also looking at playing international matches in either Australia or Europe ahead of their two major assignments.
On the Commonwealth Games, Van Huizen said Malaysia are ranked fourth in Pool A behind Australia, India and Pakistan.
"No doubt it is a tough group. However, the other group is equally tough and so it does not matter where we are placed," said the coach.
"I am not in the position to set a target for this competition. It will be decided by MHF."
Malaysia have returned with medals on the two occasions they competed in the Commonwealth Games.
Hockey was included for the first time in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition, and the national team surprised with a silver medal.
Malaysia did not qualify for the 2002 Manchester Games but four years later took bronze at the Melbourne edition. In New Delhi, Malaysia will open accounts against India on Oct 5 followed by Pakistan (Oct 6), Scotland (Oct 8) and Australia (Oct 10).
THE GROUPINGS -- Men's Pool A: Australia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Scotland; Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago.
Women's Pool A: Australia, South Africa, India, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago; Pool B: England, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Wales.

Sabah are Division Two champs

DEBUTANTS Sabah emerged Division Two champions of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior League when they beat Penang Frees 4-1 at the Pandamaran Hockey Stadium in Klang yesterday.
Sabah opened accounts in the fifth minute through Eldon Lemery before Harmesh Singh added a second in the 25th. Dick Chany Waili scored in the 50th minute to make it 3-0 but Penang reduced the deficit in the 58th minute through Mohd Shafirul Mohd Noor.
Ahmad Kafeel Ahmad Rashidi added the fourth three minutes from time to ensure Sabah the title and the winner's cash prize of RM7,000.
Sabah and Pahang finished on 21 points but the former won the title on goal difference.
The victory is a morale booster for the Sabah players ahead of next month's Malaysia Games in Malacca.
Team manager Azman Salleh said his team competed in the league for exposure purposes ahead of the Games.
"Winning the title is a bonus. It will definitely give my players the confidence for the Malaysia Games," said Azman in yesterday.
"We will face Bukit Jalil (Sports School) in the second stage and it will be a tough match."
FIXTURES -- Tomorrow, Q-finals: BPSS Thunderbolts v Ipoh City Council (Tun Razak Stadium, 4pm); UNIKL v Pahang (KLHA Stadium, Pantai, 4pm); BJSS v Sabah (Tun Razak Stadium, 6pm); Thursday: PJCC v BJSS Juniors (Tun Razak Stadium; 5pm).