Looking for first gold in 25 years...

UMAR BHUTTA'S (pic left) mature approach will have to be stopped if Malaysia want their first Junior Asia Cup gold medal.


THE Junior Asia Cup final in Malacca today is set to be a  highly entertaining affair, as Malaysia look for their first gold  medal in 25 years, while Pakistan their fourth.
    The imbalance is glaring, and the last time Malaysia played  in the final was also 20 years ago in Ipoh, where they lost 3- 0 to Pakistan.
    Pakistan won the first edition in 1987 on home soil in Karachi and nailed  their hat-trick in 1992 in Ipoh and 1996 in Singapore.
    However, this set of Malaysian players have shown tremendous potential, and their almost flawless attacking hockey  has only marred by their habit of missing sitters in the  previous four matches.
    “We have everything going for us in Malacca, except that I  have yet to get the best out of three players and hopefully they  perform in the final,” said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
   Fitri Saari, Izzat Sumantri and Ramadhan Rosli were at  their element in the Sultan of Johor Cup, but have been in the  shadows in Malacca.
    “Fitri was my best player in Johor, while Izzat and  Ramadhan were also in top flight when we won the gold  medal (beating Australia 3-2).
    “But even though we have comfortably won all out matches  here, I have yet to see these three players show their true  potential,” said Dharmaraj.
    However, the coach has been encouraging the boys to open  up their game, and hopes they will be at their best in the  crucial match today.
     “I never had all my players giving their best in any of the  four matches so far, as this is a norm in any team sport. So  hopefully, the encouragement that the team management  has given the players for the last two days will bring out the  best in at least 70 per cent of my players and the tide will be  in our favour,” said Dharmaraj.
     As for Pakistan, the most feared in their pack is Umar  Bhutta, who is only 20, but already has 38 senior caps.
     “Umar was the named as the best player in the Under-18  AHF Cup in 2009 and has played in two Azlan Shah Cups as  well as the Champions Trophy.
     “He was the crucial cog in demolishing South Korea (6-1 in  the semi-finals) and will have to be marked out to make sure  the title lands in our hands,” said Dharmaraj.
      Pakistan coach Rana Mujahid feels Malaysia are strong but  not invincible.
     “We have respect for the hosts, but I believe we will win our  fourth title going by the performance of the team in the semi- finals. They played total hockey, with very little pressure on  their shoulders, and that’s how it is going to be against  Malaysian in the final,” said Rana.
     Rana’s confidence stems from the pact that five of his  charges have already played at the Champions Trophy  level.
     They are Kashif Shah, Ali Shan, Tousiq Ahmed, Muham mad Rizwan and of course their balding skipper Umar.
   RESULTS: Seventh-Eighth: Iran 1 Sri Lanka 1 (Iran win 2-1 extra-time goal); Fifth- Sixth:  Japan x South Korea x.
   SUNDAY: Final: Malaysia v Pakistan (8pm); Third-Fourth:  India v South Korea (5pm). 

Planning for more success...

THE Project 2013 team achieved one, and will be going for  their second target against Pakistan in the final of the Junior  Asia Cup at the MBM Stadium in Malacca on Sunday.
    Malaysia has never won gold in this tournament since its inception in 1987, with the best being a silver won in the  1992 edition in Ipoh.
   The excitement is overpowering, and the wheels have  started to grind even faster as plans are afoot to send several  promising boys to play in overseas leagues.
   “It is still at a blueprint stage, as the National Sports  Council (NSC) are trying to secure top clubs in Europe or  Australia to take players from this team to a higher level,”  said team manager Mirnawan Nawawi.
     Mirnawan, who was in he 1992 silver winning side, feels  there is tremendous potential in this team and they need to  hone their skills by playing in tough leagues.
    “There is no point in sending the players to mediocre  leagues, as they need to play competitive hockey in Europe,  where I expect the challenge to come from during the Junior  World Cup (in New Delhi November next year),” said Mir nawan.
     NSC Director General Datuk Zolkples Embong confirmed  that talks are being initiated with several countries.
     “We are in the process of negotiating with several clubs  from three countries and hopefully are able to settle this by  the end of June.
    “We realise that our players need to be exposed in foreign  leagues in order to become complete players and hence the  NSC, with a go ahead from the Malaysian Hockey Con federation has started working on this plan.
     “We are looking at 12 to 18 players, from both the senior  and junior squads, to be placed overseas,” said  Zolkples.
     NSC took a lead role in seeking clubs for hockey players in  1997 and R. Shanker, Chairil Anwar, Nor Azlan Bakar, S.  Kuhan and Kerpal Singh went on three month stints with  clubs in Germany.
   As a result, Malaysia qualified for the 1998 Utrecht World  Cup after being in the cold for 16 years.
   Clips and bio-data of potential players for consideration of  clubs is being complied, to make them more marketable and  secure top-flight clubs.
    At the senior level, Malaysia last played in the World Cup in  Kuala Lumpur 2002, and next year they will be involved in  the Qualifier.
    With six of Project 2013 players overage to play in the New  Delhi Junior World Cup, the possibility is high that they will be  drafted into the senior side and play in the senior Qualifier  next year.
   SATURDAY: Seventh-Eighth: Iran v Sri Lanka (6pm); Fifth- Sixth: Japan v South Korea (8pm).
   SUNDAY: Final: Malaysia v Pakistan (8pm); Third- Fourth: India v South Korea (5pm).

Junior Asia Cup History

Men's Junior Asia Cup Hockey

Sejarah Kejohanan
Edition	Year	Venue	First	Second	Third
1st	1987	Karachi, Pakistan	Pakistan	Korea	India
2nd	1992	Ipoh, Malaysia	Pakistan	Malaysia	Korea
3rd	1996	Singapore	Pakistan	India	Japan
4th	2000	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Korea	India	Malaysia
5th	2004	Karachi, Pakistan	India	Pakistan	Korea
6th	2008	Hyderabad, India	India	Korea	Pakistan
7th	2012	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	-	-	-

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7th Men's Junior Asia Cup

Tarikh: Mei 3-13, 2012

Venue: Stadium Hoki MBMB, Bukit Serindit, Melaka, Malaysia

Kumpulan A
RK	Pasukan	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	MT
1	Malaysia	3	3	0	0	15	5	10	9
2	Korea	3	2	0	1	12	8	4	6
3	Japan	3	1	0	2	5	8	-3	3
4	Iran	3	0	0	3	3	14	-11	0
Kumpulan B
RK	Pasukan	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	MT
1	Pakistan	3	2	1	0	17	2	15	7
2	India	3	2	1	0	15	3	12	7
3	China	3	1	0	2	6	3	3	3
4	Sri Lanka	3	0	0	3	0	30	-30	0

SCHEDULE (JADUAL)
Mei 03, 2012 (Khamis)
A	Korea	4-1	Japan
A	Malaysia	6-1	Iran
Mei 04, 2012 (Jumaat)
B	Pakistan	1-0	China
B	India	11-0	Sri Lanka
Mei 05, 2012 (Sabtu)
A	Japan	3-1	Iran
A	Malaysia	6-3	Korea
Mei 06, 2012 (Ahad)
B	China	5-0	Sri Lanka
B	India	2-2	Pakistan
A	Korea	5-1	Iran
Mei 07, 2012 (Isnin)
B	China	1-2	India
B	Pakistan	14-0	Sri Lanka
B	Japan	1-3	Malaysia
Mei 09, 2012 (Rabu)
5-8	Japan	5-1	Sri Lanka
5-8	China	2-0	Iran
Mei 10, 2012 (Khamis)
SF	Malaysia	2-0	India
SF	Pakistan	6-1	Korea
Mei 12, 2012 (Sabtu)
7-8	Sri Lanka	18:05	Iran
5-6	Japan	20:05	China
Mei 13, 2012 (Ahad)
3-4	India	18:05	Korea
FINAL	Malaysia	20:05	Pakistan

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6th Men's Junior Asia Cup (Under 21) 2008

Tarikh: Julai 11-18, 2008


Venue: Gachibowli Hockey Stadium, Hyderabad, India

1. India
2. Korea
3. Pakistan
4. Japan
5. Malaysia
6. Bangladesh
7. Oman
8. Singapore

Enam pasukan teratas layak ke Piala Dunia Remaja 2009 yang akan diadakan bersama diantara Malaysia dan Singapura.

Kumpulan A
RK	Pasukan	P	M	S	K	J	B	MT
1	India	3	3	0	0	11	1	9
2	Japan	3	2	0	1	12	4	6
3	Malaysia	3	0	1	2	4	8	1
4	Singapore	3	0	1	2	3	17	0
Kumpulan B
RK	Pasukan	P	M	S	K	J	B	MT
1	Korea	3	2	1	0	22	3	7
2	Pakistan	3	2	1	0	16	6	7
3	Bangladesh	3	1	0	2	9	17	3
4	Oman	3	0	0	3	2	23	0

SCHEDULE (JADUAL)
Julai 11, 2008 (Jumaat)
A	Singapore	2-2	Malaysia
A	India	2-0	Japan
B	Bangladesh	0-8	Korea
B	Oman	1-5	Pakistan
Julai 12, 2008 (Sabtu)
A	Singapore	1-9	Japan
A	Malaysia	1-3	India
Julai 13, 2008 (Ahad)
B	Oman	1-7	Bangladesh
B	Pakistan	3-3	Korea
Julai 14, 2008 (Isnin)
A	Japan	3-1	Malaysia
A	India	6-0	Singapore
B	Pakistan	8-2	Bangladesh
B	Korea	11-0	Oman
Julai 16, 2008 (Rabu)
5-8	Malaysia	5-1	Oman
5-8	Bangladesh	3-1	Singapore
SF	India	3-1	Pakistan
SF	Korea	4-1	Japan
Julai 17, 2008 (Khamis)
7-8	Oman	5-1	Singapore
5-6	Malaysia	1-0	Bangladesh
Julai 18, 2008 (Jumaat)
3-4	Pakistan	7-2	Japan
FINAL	India	3-2 (aet 2-2)	Korea

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5th Men's Junior Asia Cup (Karachi, Pakistan - 2004)

April 20-29, 2004

Venue: Hockey Club of Pakistan, Karachi

1. India
2. Pakistan
3. Korea
4. Malaysia
5. Japan
6. Bangladesh
7. China
8. Singapore
9. Chinese-Taipei
10. Sri Lanka

Rk	Pool A	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	Mata
1	Pakistan	4	4	0	0	38	5	33	12
2	Korea	4	3	0	1	24	11	13	9
3	Japan	4	1	0	3	11	18	-7	3
4	Singapore	4	1	0	3	2	16	-14	3
5	Chinese Taipei	4	1	0	3	5	30	-25	3
Rk	Pool B	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	Mata
1	India	4	4	0	0	42	3	39	12
2	Malaysia	4	3	0	1	16	7	9	9
3	Bangladesh	4	1	1	2	5	16	-11	4
4	China	4	1	1	2	5	17	-12	4
5	Sri Lanka	4	0	0	4	2	27	-25	0

April 20, 2004 (Selasa):
B Malaysia 6-0 Sri Lanka;
B Bangladesh 2-2 China;
A Pakistan 9-0 Singapore;
A Chinese-Taipei 1-7 Japan.

April 21, 2004 (Rabu):
B China 0-10 India;
B Malaysia 2-0 Bangladesh;
A Japan 2-8 Korea;
A Pakistan 15-1 Chinese Taipei

April 22, 2004 (Khamis):
A Korea 5-0 Singapore;
B India 17-1 Sri Lanka.

April 23, 2004 (Jumaat):
A Japan 1-7 Pakistan;
A Singapore 0-1 Chinese Taipei
B China 2-5 Malaysia;
B Sri Lanka 1-3 Bangladesh.

April 24, 2004 (Sabtu):
A Chinese Taipei 2-8 Korea;
B Bangladesh 0-10 India.

April 25, 2004 (Ahad):
B Sri Lanka 0-1 China;
A Singapore 2-1 Japan;
B India 5-2 Malaysia;
A Korea 3-7 Pakistan.

April 26, 2004 (Isnin):
Rest Day.

April 27, 2004 (Selasa):
5/8: Japan 3-2 (golden goal, 2-2) China
* Fifth placed of Pool A vs Fifth placed of Pool B
5/8: Singapore 0-3 Bangladesh
SF: Pakistan 5-2 Malaysia
SF: India 0-0 (aet, pso 4-3) Korea.

April 28, 2004 (Rabu):
Classification matches.
9/10: Chinese Taipei 3-2 Sri Lanka
7/8: China 2-0 Singapore
5/6: Japan 1-0 Bangladesh

April 29, 2004: (Khamis):
3/4: Malaysia 1-2 Korea
FINAL Pakistan 2-5 India

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4th Men's Junior Asia Cup (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 2000)

Mei 3-14, 2000

Venue: Stadium Hoki Nasional, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur

Rk	Pool A	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	Mata
1	Korea	4	3	1	0	29	6	23	10
2	Malaysia	4	3	1	0	26	3	23	10
3	Pakistan	4	2	0	2	29	7	22	6
4	Chinese Taipei	4	1	0	3	6	39	-33	3
5	Singapore	4	0	0	4	2	37	-35	0
Rk	Pool B	P	M	S	K	J	B	PG	Mata
1	India	5	5	0	0	60	5	55	15
2	Japan	5	3	1	1	25	14	11	10
3	China	5	3	0	2	35	15	20	9
4	Bangladesh	5	2	1	2	22	12	10	7
5	Uzbekistan	5	1	0	4	11	38	-27	3
6	Iran	5	0	0	5	0	69	-69	0

1. Korea
2. India
3. Malaysia
4. Japan
5. Pakistan
6. China
7. Bangladesh
8. Chinese-Taipei
9. Uzbekistan
10. Singapore
11. Iran

Mei 3, 2000:
A Chinese Taipei 1-13 Korea
A Pakistan 13-0 Singapore
B Bangladesh 1-5 India
B Iran 0-13 Japan

Mei 4, 2000:
A Chinese Taipei 0-12 Malaysia
B Japan 4-13 China
B Uzbekistan 1-5 Bangladesh

Mei 5, 2000:
A Korea 10-0 Singapore
B Uzbekistan 6-0 Iran
B India 8-1 China

Mei 6, 2000:
A Pakistan 12-0 Chinese Taipei
B Bangladesh 14-0 Iran
B Japan 2-9 India

Mei 7, 2000:
B China 11-1 Uzbekistan
A Malaysia 2-2 Korea

Mei 8, 2000:
B Japan 0-0 Bangladesh
B Iran 0-22 India
A Singapore 0-9 Malaysia

Mei 9, 2000:
B India 16-1 Uzbekistan
B Bangladesh 2-6 China
A Singapore 2-5 Chinese Taipei
A Korea 4-3 Pakistan

Mei 10, 2000:
B China 14-0 Iran
B Uzbekistan 2-6 Japan
A Pakistan 1-3 Malaysia

Mei 11, 2000:
Rest day/Hari Rehat

Mei 12, 2000:
9-12 Singapore 2-1 Iran
5-8 Pakistan 7-1 Bangladesh
SF Korea 4-1 Japan
5-8 Chinese Taipei 4-6 China
SF Malaysia 1-2 India

Mei 13, 2000:
Tempat 9/10 Singapore 1-7 Uzbekistan
Tempat 7/8 Bangladesh 2-1 Chinese Taipei
Tempat 5/6 Pakistan 3-0 China

Mei 14, 2000:
Tempat 3/4 Malaysia 2-1 Japan
Final: India 2-3 Korea

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3rd Men's Junior Asia Cup (Singapore 1996)
Venue: Delta Sports Complex, Singapore
1. Pakistan
2. India
3. Japan
4. Korea
5. Malaysia
6. Bangladesh
7. China
8. Sri Lanka
9. Singapore
10. Thailand

Mei 29, 1996 (Rabu)
A Korea 4-1 China
B India 1-2 Bangladesh
B Malaysia 4-0 Singapore

Mei 30, 1996 (Khamis)
A Pakistan 11-0 Sri Lanka
B India 3-2 Japan

Mei 31, 1996 (Jumaat)
B Bangladesh 7-1 Singapore
A Thailand 1-10 Korea
A China 0-3 Pakistan

Jun 1, 1996 (Sabtu)
B Japan 2-2 Malaysia
A Sri Lanka 5-0 Thailand

Jun 2, 1996 (Ahad)
B India 9-0 Singapore
A Sri Lanka 1-4 China
B Korea 0-2 Pakistan

Jun 3, 1996 (Isnin)
A Japan v Singapore
A Malaysia v Bangladesh

Jun 8, 1996 (Sabtu)
Tempat 9/10 Singapore 2-0 Thailand
Tempat 7/8 Sri Lanka 1-4 China
Tempat 5/6 Malaysia 2-1 Bangladesh

Jun 9, 1996 (Ahad)
Tempat 3/4 Japan 2-2 (penalti strokes 4-1) Korea
Final Pakistan 2-2 (pso 5-4) India

2nd Men's Junior Asia Cup (Ipoh, Malaysia - 1992)
1. Pakistan
2. Malaysia
3. Korea
4. India
5. Bangladesh
6. China
7. Japan
8. Oman
9. Sri Lanka
10. Singapore

1st Men's Junior Asia Cup (Karachi, Pakistan - 1987)
1. Pakistan
2. Korea
3. India
4. Malaysia
5. China
6. Japan
7. Macau

Malaysia v Pakistan final

 NOTE: Pakistan 3-0 up by the 18th minute...


MALAYSIA played total attacking hockey to beat India 2-0  to keep their golden target alive in the Junior Asia Cup at the  MBM Stadium in Malacca yesterday.
    The win dented India’s dream of a hat-trick of titles, but it  ignited a fire which might just land Malaysia their first Junior  Asia Cup title.
   Malaysia will play Pakistan on Sunday, while South Korea  and India will battle for the bronze.
   In the second semi-finals, Pakistan beat South Korea 6-1.
   The tournament, incepted in 1987, saw Malaysia in the  final only once in 1992, while it was failure at the semi-finals  stage in 1987, 2000 and 2004.
  “It is indeed a super show from my boys as they played non- stop hockey for 70 minutes. The title is within our reach now,  and I believe in my players ability to deliver the gold in  Malacca,” said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
   Faizal Saari, who played in the Dublin Olympic Qualifier,  drew first blood off Malaysia’s second penalty corner in the  40th minute, when he sent the ball to the roof and sent 4,500- odd fans into wild celebrations.
   And there were more misses, as sitters went a begging, but  Syamim Yusof put the Indian’s to bed with a diving attempt  after Faizal’s pass tricked bumpily towards him in the 65th  minute.
    “I was quite surprised to see India playing a defensive  game, as they soaked in the pressure and only attacked on  counter from both the flanks for 35 minutes.
   “And my players were not sharp enough to score in the first  half even though we had five chances. However, in the  dressing room, we told them to take a step back and enjoy the  game and don’t be in a hurry when in the semi-circle.
    “That’s what won us the match and now we are just a step  away from the second target in this tournament,” said team  manager Mirnawan Nawawi.
    Mirnawan has been in this position before, as he skippered  the 1992 team which reached the final of the Junior Asia Cup,  only to lose the gold to Pakistan in Ipoh.
   Malaysia have never been at the top of the podium in the  Junior Asia Cup, but come Sunday, that dream might just  become a reality.
   RESULTS: Semi-finals -- Malaysia 2 India 0, Pakistan 6  South Korea 1.
   SUNDAY: Final -- Malaysia v Pakistan (8pm); Third-Fourth:  South Korea v India (5pm).

Malaysia in the final!

Malaysia 2 India 0
2nd semis -- Pakistan  leading Korea 2-0 with Irfan and Dilbar scoring and its only 14 minutes into the match,,,