YNS edge Nur Insafi 2-1

YAYASAN Negri Sembilan (YNS) had to forfeit their nine lives before beating Nur Insafi 2-1 off their ninth penalty corner in the Premier Division of the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
YNS started off with a stroke of luck in the ninth minute when Nur Insafi Pakistan import Kashif Ali missed a penalty stroke, but lady luck deserted them in the 24th minute.
Local player Harris Fadila scored off a field attempt, and that was the most exciting action of the first half.
Nur Insafi and YNS have each registered six foreign players, but there seem to be a lack of understanding in their first League match.
For the record, YNS beat Nur Insafi 4-2 and 6-1 in the return leg last season.
The second half was a midfield affair, but YNS started attacking after 15 minutes into the match and won a string of penalty corners, but only got it right in their eighth attempt.
Pakistan import Ihsan Ullah Khan's 59th minute attempt pulled his team on level terms, and YNS started to attack more often as they went looking for the winner.
And they got it in the 69th minute, off their ninth penalty corner when Ullah struck again for full points.
Meanwhile, Sapura chalked up an unimpressive 4-0 win over a weak Armed Forces Airod.
Sapura fielded four national players but only Azreen Rizal delivered with a hat-trick (eigtht, 29th, 66th) and Sapura were let off the hook.
The other goal was scored by Joel Samuel van Huizen in the 69th minute.
The rest of their national players, and former players like S. Kuhan, Jiwa Mohan, Redzuan Ponirin, Robert Alcantra and Faizal Daud, were of little help to the team's cause.
"While I am happy with the win and the four goals, we were playing in patches and that is an area we need to work on. In reality this was the first time they played together as a team as many of my players had work commitment," said Sapura coach I.Vikneswaran.
In another Premier Division match, unfancied UiTM scared the daylights out of UniKL when their Oatar import Sherza Ali scored in the 12th minute, but Noor Faeez scored off their fifth penalty corner in the 59th minute to hand UniKL one important point.
UiTM yesterday fielded all their five Qatar imports Muhammad Rizwan, Sheraz Ali, Tariq Nazir, Sami Ullah and Sohail Mustafa.
RESULTS: Division One -- SSTMI-Thunderbolt 4 Uniten 2, Ipoh City Hall 0 BJSS 6.
Premier League: Armed Forces Airod 0 Sapura 4, Uitm 1 UniKL 1, Nur Insafi Penang 1 Yayasan Negri Sembilan 2.
WEDNESDAY: Premier Division -- Sapura v Maybank (6pm, Pitch I), UniKL v Yayasan NS (8pm, Pitch I), Kuala Lumpur HC v UiTM (6pm, Pitch II), Tenaga v Nur Insafi (8pm, Pitch II).
All matches at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
DIVISION ONE: SSTMI-Thunderbolt v UNIMAP (Ministry of Education, 5pm), BJSS v Uniten (Ministry of Education, 8pm).

STANDINGS

PREMIER DIVISION

P W D L F A Pts
SAPURA 1 1 0 0 4 0 3
KLHC 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
YAYASAN NS 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
UITM 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
UNIKL 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
TENAGA 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
NUR INSAFI 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
ATM AIROD 1 0 0 1 0 4 0
MAYBANK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DIVISION ONE

P W D L F A Pts
BJSS 2 1 1 0 7 1 4
THUNDERBOLT 1 1 0 0 4 2 3
UNIMAP 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
UNITEN 2 0 1 1 4 6 1
IPOH CH 2 0 1 1 2 8 1

AN UNCONVINCING WIN FOR SAPURA

Despite have five national players and a host of ex-internationals, Sapura struggled to register a 4-0 win over a resilient Armed Forces Airod at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil... READ MORE AT http://www.tnbmhl.com.my/

KLHC snatch Charity Shield from Tenaga

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) lifted their maiden Charity Shield when they edged Tenaga Nasional 2-1 in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) curtain raiser at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil last night.
It was not much of a match, as there was hardly any excitement created by 18 national players, nine each in KLHC and Tenaga, and they looked more like they were still recovering from the Asian Champions Trophy bronze battle.
KLHC looked the better side in the first 10 minutes of the match, and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin finally gave them something to cheer with a deft reverse stick attempt.
The clock only showed nine minutes into the match, but Tengku's reverse stick shot went crashing into the net to beat Tenaga goalkeeper S. Kumar for the lead.
However, two consecutive Shield winners Tenaga did not look rattled but kept pushing for the equaliser and it came off a goalmouth melee in the 14th minute.
KLHC goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin stopped the first shot from Faizal Saari, but the rebound from Fariq Saadon went crashing into the board for the equaliser.
KLHC won the only penalty corner of the first half, but Radzi Rahim's low push was easily stopped and both teams went into the dressing room to plot the second half.
KLHC were again the better side after the breather, and won their second penalty corner but still, Razie's attempt was first stopped by an onrusing Baljit Singh while his second attempt was stopped by Kumar.
However, KLHC skipper Azlan Misron took matters into his own hands, and after receiving a pass in the 48th minute, his reverse stick grounder beat Roslan to put his team in the driving seat again.
That goal was enough to hand them three valuable points, and now they are the team to beat for the League title.
"We went in looking for three points, and got what we wanted and winning the Shield for the first time has also placed us in a good positing to defend our League title," said KLHC team manager George Koshy.
KLHC next play UiTM on Wednesday, and it would most likely be a goal fest for them.
RESULTS: Division One -- Uniten 2 Ipoh City Hall 2, BJSS 1 UNIMAP 1.
Premier League -- (Charity Shield): KL Hockey Club 2 Tenaga Nasional 1.
TODAY: Division One -- SSTMI-Thunderbolt v Uniten (Education Ministry, 5pm), Ipoh City Hall v BJSS (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm).
Premier League: Armed Forces Airod v Sapura (National Stadium, 4pm), Uitm v UniKL (National Stadium, 6pm), Nur Insafi Penang v Yayasan Negri Sembilan (National Stadium, 8pm).

FIH checkmate India

By S.Thyagarajan
TheHindu

Leandro Negre was forthright. He stated without a hint of ambiguity the perception of the FIH to the mess that hockey is in India.
“Toe the line or face the music” was the FIH President's refrain in Delhi.
The belligerence of the FIH surprises none. Even as officials were preparing to plead for a re-think on the Champions Trophy, a note that Auckland will host it was being circulated. The timing was impeccable. It silenced any debate from the Indian side.
More disturbing are the hints thrown about disaffiliation. The FIH is consciously avoiding confirmation of the Olympic qualifier sanctioned to New Delhi in March. This coupled with the threat of disaffiliation puts India under pressure.
The FIH probably does not see India anymore as the financial cow to be milked at will. The lessons coming out of the Hero Honda World Cup are compelling the FIH to re-work its strategy of enlarging the financial muscle of the federation using India as a catalyst.

A major component

The thinking in the FIH was definitely on making capital out of India. The passion for the sport, the TV ratings of the India-Pakistan opener, the incredible crowd following matching the fervour of soccer in Europe, all showed India as the major component in the FIH' s financial schemes.
Now, the irritants of red-tape and complexities in transferring funds quickly are intimidating. The FIH therefore is not hesitating to flourish the disaffiliation card and the option of taking away the Olympic qualifier.
This is a challenge. Whether the agencies fighting for governance are cohesive enough to overcome is a moot question. The cacophony of voices in the administration makes it clear that there is no meeting point.
Beyond a point, the Sports Ministry is shackled as a facilitator. The rival factions spurn every attempt at unification, buffeted by legal observations and prevarication.
The trophy triumph at Ordos in the Asian Champions Trophy has come not a day too soon. Perhaps it is a coincidence that the FIH was in Delhi when the team arrived to a warm welcome and felicitations.
The outcome should send the correct signal to the FIH that India as an entity cannot be trifled with. Disqualifying a country with a shining record of eight Olympic gold medals from playing hockey is akin to FIFA prohibiting Brazil and from playing international soccer.
Does the FIH sincerely believe it can monitor a major Olympic discipline without India in its roll?
Whatever loophole it may figure out to discipline the administration, will such a step get for it a consensus?
Hockey players, coaches, administrators and aficionados everywhere speak in one voice underlining the need for India to be back as a major force.
The issue of disaffiliation hanging like the sword of Damocles may help the FIH to keep alive a threat.
But enforcing it in the Olympic year will dent its image in the eyes of the international sports community. Will IOC countenance such a measure?
This does not imply the FIH's threat is empty. It is projected as an instrument to introduce an element of urgency in solving the problems.
Unless a unified federation is shaped quickly pin-pricks from the FIH will continue.
In the interest of the sport, which is showing signs of resurgence at Ordos, Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation cannot further delay a nuanced integration acceptable to IOA and the FIH.
Time is running out for all.

No room for mistakes in TNB-MHL

THERE is no room for mistakes in the six-week TNB- Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), and fitness could well decide who gets their hands on the three silverware up for grabs starting today.
Tenaga Nasional and Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will square off in the Charity Shield at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight, and the losing team could well find themselves in a tight spot.
“This is a very short League and so we can’t afford to drop any points as there is no return leg like last season.
“Also, we will playing back-to-back matches and fitness would come into play in the first week itself,” said KLHC skipper Azlan Misron.
Azlan is a national trainee, but was left out of the Asian Champions Trophy, and so he is ready for the League unlike Tenaga Nasional skipper Madzli Ikmar.
“I just returned from Ordos (Asian Champions Trophy) two days ago and after playing some highly competitive matches, I do feel a little tired.
“However, hockey is a team sport and I believe my team- mates are ready to give their best in the Charity Shield which comes with three valuable points,” said Madzli.
There are nine national trainees in Tenaga while KLHC have the equal number.
The other teams in the Premier Division are Maybank. Sapura, UiTM, UniKL, Yayasan Negri Sembilan, Armed Forces and Nur Insafi.
There are only five teams in Division One and they are Ipoh City Hall , SSTMI-Thunderbolt, Bukit Jalil Sports School, Uniten and UNIMAP.
The development side in the MHL is UniKL, who have been the front runners in grooming players, but have suffered a high turn-over.
UniKL team manager Amir Azhar said: “We are only three years old, and the turn over had been very high because other clubs can offer them more cash.
“However, we are not too worried, as we have eleven Project 2013 players in the squad, and they will be beefed up by four former national trainees, former national S. Sel varaju and also five national under-18 players.”
UniKL lost three influential players in Amir Farid to Tenaga, Mohamed Syamim to KLHC after the conclusion of the last Junior Hockey League and last season’s JHL top scorer Mohamed Zulhairi to Maybank.
Sapura, Yayasan Negri Sembilan and UiTM will be fielding foreign players, but it looks like KLHC and Tenaga are going to share the Charity Shield, League title and TNB-Cup this year.
TODAY: Division One -- Uniten v Ipoh City Hall (Tun Razak 5pm), BJSS v UNIMAP (Education Ministry, 8pm).
Premier League -- (Charity Shield): KL Hockey Club v Tenaga Nasional (National Hockey Stadium, 8pm).
TOMORROW: Division One -- SSTMI-Thunderbolt v Uniten (Education Ministry, 5pm), Ipoh City Hall v BJSS (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm).
Premier League: Armed Forces Airod v Sapura (National Stadium, 4pm), Uitm v UniKL (National Stadium, 6pm), Nur Insafi Penang v Yayasan Negri Sembilan (National Stadium, 8pm).