JOHOR upset the form-book in Group A when they defeated Kelantan 4-0 in the MHC-MILO-NSC-MOE National Under-14 tournament at the Seremban II Stadium yesterday.
The win has placed them in a good position to make the semi-finals as they play a weak Perlis in the final match today while Kelantan will have to defeat defending champions Kuala Lumpur to make the last four.
Johor and Kelantan are tied on seven points with the City side comfortable on 10 points. However should both lose the matches, then Selangor can take the second spot available for the semis.
Johor, knowing only a win will keep their hopes alive, kept up the pressure from the start, and scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute through Faiq Razin.
And In the final ten minutes, Johor added another three goals via Asyraff Nazri (61st, 62nd) and Fikri Amer (67th to take the crucial three points.
In Group B, Perak booked a place in the semis, the first team to do so in the tournament with a clinical 2-0 defeat of Malacca.
The silver state thus have won all their five matches and will complete their fixtures against Penang, a match thy can afford to lose and yet retain the top spot.
Perak opened scoring in the 51st minute through Nazrul Asyraf and added the second off a penalty corner converted by Najmi Hayazi in the 69th.
RESULTS: Group A -- Johor 4 Kelantan 0, Perlis 0 Selangor 4.
Group B: Kedah 1 Sabah 3, Perak 2 Malacca 0, Terengganu 5 Penang 1.
TODAY: Group A -- Kuala Lumpur v Kelantan (8am), Johor v Perlis (3pm), Pahang v Selangor (5pm).
Group B: Kedah v Malacca (8am), Perak v Penang (3pm), Terengganu v Negri Sembilan (5pm).
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
K. Lumpur 4 3 1 0 12 4 10
Johor 4 2 1 1 12 4 7
Kelantan 4 2 1 1 3 4 7
Selangor 4 2 0 2 8 8 6
Pahang 4 0 2 2 2 11 2
Perlis 4 0 1 3 2 8 1
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Perak 5 5 0 0 15 2 15
N. Sembilan 5 3 1 1 14 9 10
Penang 5 3 0 2 21 13 9
Terengganu 5 2 2 1 11 7 8
Malacca 5 1 1 3 5 15 4
Sabah 6 1 1 4 8 17 4
Kedah 5 0 1 4 3 14 1
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Sabah headache for Negri...
FIVE-TIME champions Kuala Lumpur virtually sealed their spot in the
semi-finals of the MHC-MIL0-NSC-MOE National Under 14 after they came
from a goal down to beat Pahang 4-1 in Group A yesterday.
However, on the adjacent pitch, Negri Sembilan were dealt a big blow when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sabah.
With the draw, Negri now face an uphill task in trying to make the last four as they have to beat Terengganu and await the outcome of matches involving Penang.
Last year losing finalists Terengganu are out of the running for a place in the semis after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kedah.
And Penang did their hopes a world of good by trashing Malacca 7-0 to enhance their chances in moving into semis from Group B.
KL have 10 points from four matches and have Kelantan to play on Friday, a match that could well decide who tops Group A as the east coast side need to defeat Johor to set up the showdown for group champions.
Perak only need one point from their remaining two matches, against Malacca today and Penang on Friday to seal their place.
“Although we are sitting pretty we just cannot afford to take things for granted and have to play our very best. In age group tournaments nothing is certain and thus we have to remain cautious,” said Perak team manager Manjit Singh.
“It is quite open at the moment as three teams, Perak, Penang and Negri are in the running for a place in the last four. And I expect it to boil down to matches on Friday to determine the semifinalists.”
Pahang opened scoring in the 34th minute through Jamal Abdul Hassan. But the city side hit back with goals from Wan Haziq (47th) and a hat-trick from Fitri Khairul (59th, 61st, 70th).
For hosts Negri, after taking the lead through Mahathir Rathuwan in the 23rd minute they created numerous chances but could not add on to their tally.
And Sabah punished them with an equaliser in the 56th minute through Shafiq Zapi to share the spoils.
THURSDAY: Group A: Johor v Kelantan (8am), Perlis v Selangor (4pm).
Group B: Kedah v Sabah (8am), Perak v Malacca (4.30pm), Terengganu v Penang (6pm).
RESULTS: Group A -- Selangor 0 Kelantan 2, Kuala Lumpur 4 Pahang 1.
Group B: Kedah 1 Terengganu 1, Sabah 1 Negri Sembilan 1, Malacca 0 Penang 7.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
K. Lumpur 4 3 1 0 12 4 10
Kelantan 3 2 1 0 3 0 7
Johor 3 1 1 1 8 4 4
Selangor 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Pahang 4 0 2 2 2 11 2
Perlis 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Perak 4 4 0 0 13 2 12
N. Sembilan 5 3 1 1 14 9 10
Penang 4 3 0 1 20 8 9
Terengganu 4 1 2 1 6 6 5
Malacca 4 1 1 2 5 13 4
Kedah 4 0 1 3 2 11 1
Sabah 5 0 1 4 5 16 1
However, on the adjacent pitch, Negri Sembilan were dealt a big blow when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sabah.
With the draw, Negri now face an uphill task in trying to make the last four as they have to beat Terengganu and await the outcome of matches involving Penang.
Last year losing finalists Terengganu are out of the running for a place in the semis after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kedah.
And Penang did their hopes a world of good by trashing Malacca 7-0 to enhance their chances in moving into semis from Group B.
KL have 10 points from four matches and have Kelantan to play on Friday, a match that could well decide who tops Group A as the east coast side need to defeat Johor to set up the showdown for group champions.
Perak only need one point from their remaining two matches, against Malacca today and Penang on Friday to seal their place.
“Although we are sitting pretty we just cannot afford to take things for granted and have to play our very best. In age group tournaments nothing is certain and thus we have to remain cautious,” said Perak team manager Manjit Singh.
“It is quite open at the moment as three teams, Perak, Penang and Negri are in the running for a place in the last four. And I expect it to boil down to matches on Friday to determine the semifinalists.”
Pahang opened scoring in the 34th minute through Jamal Abdul Hassan. But the city side hit back with goals from Wan Haziq (47th) and a hat-trick from Fitri Khairul (59th, 61st, 70th).
For hosts Negri, after taking the lead through Mahathir Rathuwan in the 23rd minute they created numerous chances but could not add on to their tally.
And Sabah punished them with an equaliser in the 56th minute through Shafiq Zapi to share the spoils.
THURSDAY: Group A: Johor v Kelantan (8am), Perlis v Selangor (4pm).
Group B: Kedah v Sabah (8am), Perak v Malacca (4.30pm), Terengganu v Penang (6pm).
RESULTS: Group A -- Selangor 0 Kelantan 2, Kuala Lumpur 4 Pahang 1.
Group B: Kedah 1 Terengganu 1, Sabah 1 Negri Sembilan 1, Malacca 0 Penang 7.
STANDINGS
GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
K. Lumpur 4 3 1 0 12 4 10
Kelantan 3 2 1 0 3 0 7
Johor 3 1 1 1 8 4 4
Selangor 3 1 0 2 4 8 3
Pahang 4 0 2 2 2 11 2
Perlis 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Perak 4 4 0 0 13 2 12
N. Sembilan 5 3 1 1 14 9 10
Penang 4 3 0 1 20 8 9
Terengganu 4 1 2 1 6 6 5
Malacca 4 1 1 2 5 13 4
Kedah 4 0 1 3 2 11 1
Sabah 5 0 1 4 5 16 1
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
No more Titah Tuanku ruse..
MALAYSIAN Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah sent out a stern warning to the states when he said “Jangan cakap banyak, buat kerja”, in his closing remark at a special seminar for affiliates and office bearers in Johor Baru on Sunday.
He also censured those who utilise “Titah Tuanku” (royal decree) randomly as he remarked that any such instruction would come from him directly from now on.
Tengku Abdullah also paid particular attention to what he termed as jealousy, back biting and character assination as the traits that hockey could well do without.
“Stop the politicking and get down to work. There is much to do and everyone needs to play their part in ensuring we qualify for the 2016 Olympics,” said Tengku Abdullah.
In proposing sweeping changes within MHC, Tengku Abdullah also said that he wanted the constitution of MHC reviewed as it was not lean as it should be.
“We have just too many positions and the issue of reserving certain positions for a particular gender needs to be looked at,” said Tengku Abdullah.
“I wish to propose that a free elections and only for the top two will there be a case of gender equality.
“And the time has come for all in the hockey fraternity, be it from MHC, the states and even the media to close ranks and work towards improving hockey in the country.”
And in his presentation at the seminar, Tengku Abdullah outlined the structure that MHC will adopt from January 2013.
Four departments are to be created, namely Administration, Competitions, Coaching & Development and the International Department. To be helmed by full time Directors, these departments have been given specific tasks.
In addition Tengku Abdullah also wants the 1MAS program to be reviewed, as he wants specific attention to be paid towards training of penalty corner specialists from a young age.
“In order to ensure that hockey reaches the masses, I want the 1MAS program to be expanded and from now on it will be a 1 pitch 1 centre ratio and not one state one centre,” clarified Tengku Abdullah.
“We need to pay special attention towards development and I want all states to ensure that they have a development program and not depend on ad-hoc way towards developing hockey.
“And it is a requirement for states to have a league and I will consider a grant for states that hold their leagues.”
The President also allowed the states to present their views and was receptive of the ideas put forward. A Task Force will be formed to implement the changes.
He also censured those who utilise “Titah Tuanku” (royal decree) randomly as he remarked that any such instruction would come from him directly from now on.
Tengku Abdullah also paid particular attention to what he termed as jealousy, back biting and character assination as the traits that hockey could well do without.
“Stop the politicking and get down to work. There is much to do and everyone needs to play their part in ensuring we qualify for the 2016 Olympics,” said Tengku Abdullah.
In proposing sweeping changes within MHC, Tengku Abdullah also said that he wanted the constitution of MHC reviewed as it was not lean as it should be.
“We have just too many positions and the issue of reserving certain positions for a particular gender needs to be looked at,” said Tengku Abdullah.
“I wish to propose that a free elections and only for the top two will there be a case of gender equality.
“And the time has come for all in the hockey fraternity, be it from MHC, the states and even the media to close ranks and work towards improving hockey in the country.”
And in his presentation at the seminar, Tengku Abdullah outlined the structure that MHC will adopt from January 2013.
Four departments are to be created, namely Administration, Competitions, Coaching & Development and the International Department. To be helmed by full time Directors, these departments have been given specific tasks.
In addition Tengku Abdullah also wants the 1MAS program to be reviewed, as he wants specific attention to be paid towards training of penalty corner specialists from a young age.
“In order to ensure that hockey reaches the masses, I want the 1MAS program to be expanded and from now on it will be a 1 pitch 1 centre ratio and not one state one centre,” clarified Tengku Abdullah.
“We need to pay special attention towards development and I want all states to ensure that they have a development program and not depend on ad-hoc way towards developing hockey.
“And it is a requirement for states to have a league and I will consider a grant for states that hold their leagues.”
The President also allowed the states to present their views and was receptive of the ideas put forward. A Task Force will be formed to implement the changes.
The warnings were there
THE warnings were all there after Malaysia beat Germany who became the eventual champions, but still, the chinks could not be polished in time and the Malaysian juniors were brought crashing down to earth.
After winning gold last year at the same venue, and then going on to win the Junior Asia Cup gold medal, there was much hope that this batch of players would at least play in the thrid-fourth bracket and not languish at the end of the pool.
Malaysia went into the tournament without two of their best juniors in brothers Fitri and Faizal Saari, who are now in Argentina for the Champions Challenge I tournament, and nobody expected them to beat Germany or India to the gold medal.
But nobody also expected them to squander so many penalty corners in every match, almost an average of nine every match, and nobody also expected them to argue with umpires and pick up more yellow and green cards than score goals.
Those were the two glaring chinks which saw Malaysia slide form champions to also played in the second edition.
"We will work on the penalty corners from now until the Junior World Cup (next November in New Delhi) as even our current flicker Noor Faeez (Ibrahim) would be overage together with a few more players.
"This batch needs much work on them before we can talk about playing in the semi-finals of the Junior World Cup," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
On the tournament itself, the crowd in Johor Baru were simply fantastic and never stopped cheering even when Malaysia were beaten 5-2 by New Zealand in the pool match.
About 5,000 of them turned up for every match, and even torrential rain failed to leave the seats empty.
And all the coaches, from India to Pakistan to Germany to Oceania only had good things to say anbout the Sultan of Johor Cup.
The Australian coach Paul Gaudoin summed it up when he said: "This is one of the only junior tournaments in the world and we are really grateful to be here."
No other countries in the world have a junior tournament like the Sultan of Johor Cup, which offers a platform for a sterling age-group tournament and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and the Johor Hockey Association should be commended for running the show.
After winning gold last year at the same venue, and then going on to win the Junior Asia Cup gold medal, there was much hope that this batch of players would at least play in the thrid-fourth bracket and not languish at the end of the pool.
Malaysia went into the tournament without two of their best juniors in brothers Fitri and Faizal Saari, who are now in Argentina for the Champions Challenge I tournament, and nobody expected them to beat Germany or India to the gold medal.
But nobody also expected them to squander so many penalty corners in every match, almost an average of nine every match, and nobody also expected them to argue with umpires and pick up more yellow and green cards than score goals.
Those were the two glaring chinks which saw Malaysia slide form champions to also played in the second edition.
"We will work on the penalty corners from now until the Junior World Cup (next November in New Delhi) as even our current flicker Noor Faeez (Ibrahim) would be overage together with a few more players.
"This batch needs much work on them before we can talk about playing in the semi-finals of the Junior World Cup," said Malaysian coach K. Dharmaraj.
On the tournament itself, the crowd in Johor Baru were simply fantastic and never stopped cheering even when Malaysia were beaten 5-2 by New Zealand in the pool match.
About 5,000 of them turned up for every match, and even torrential rain failed to leave the seats empty.
And all the coaches, from India to Pakistan to Germany to Oceania only had good things to say anbout the Sultan of Johor Cup.
The Australian coach Paul Gaudoin summed it up when he said: "This is one of the only junior tournaments in the world and we are really grateful to be here."
No other countries in the world have a junior tournament like the Sultan of Johor Cup, which offers a platform for a sterling age-group tournament and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and the Johor Hockey Association should be commended for running the show.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Negri continue winning ways..
NEGRI Sembilan registered their second win in as many days when they defeated Kedah 4-0 in the MHC-Milo-NSC-MOE National Under-14 tournament at the Seremban II Stadium yesterday.
Two goals each from Mahathir Rathuwan (10th, 24th minutes) and Hilmi Hairuddin (26th, 35th) gave the hosts a resounding win although they really should have added to their tally in the second half.
Penang registered a 6-2 win over Sabah who had done well in earlier matches restricting their opponents to just one goal margin of defeat.
Aiman Asyraff put Penang ahead in the 11th minute, converting a penalty corner. But Shello Silverus made it all square in the 15th minute, only for Penang to regain the lead in the 19th minute via Afif Haikal Azhar.
Silverus scored his second to pull his team level in the 22nd minute via a penalty corner.
But that was as far as Sabah could last as Penang added another four goals in the second half through Azim Ilias (42nd), Ytengku Ariff Haikal (57th minute), Safirul Sazali (66th) and Farhan Rozi (69th).
Meanwhile Selangor defeated Johor 3-1 with the Selangor goals coming from Asyraff Nazri (47th), Fariq Razin (50th) and Faisol Rohizan (67th). Johor’s solitary goal was scored by Amirul Hanis in the 27th minute.
Perak continued their winning ways by defeating last year’s runner up Terengganu 3-1 to consolidate their lead in Group B.
And the battle of the east coast states, between Kelantan and Pahang, ended scoreless.
Two goals each from Mahathir Rathuwan (10th, 24th minutes) and Hilmi Hairuddin (26th, 35th) gave the hosts a resounding win although they really should have added to their tally in the second half.
Penang registered a 6-2 win over Sabah who had done well in earlier matches restricting their opponents to just one goal margin of defeat.
Aiman Asyraff put Penang ahead in the 11th minute, converting a penalty corner. But Shello Silverus made it all square in the 15th minute, only for Penang to regain the lead in the 19th minute via Afif Haikal Azhar.
Silverus scored his second to pull his team level in the 22nd minute via a penalty corner.
But that was as far as Sabah could last as Penang added another four goals in the second half through Azim Ilias (42nd), Ytengku Ariff Haikal (57th minute), Safirul Sazali (66th) and Farhan Rozi (69th).
Meanwhile Selangor defeated Johor 3-1 with the Selangor goals coming from Asyraff Nazri (47th), Fariq Razin (50th) and Faisol Rohizan (67th). Johor’s solitary goal was scored by Amirul Hanis in the 27th minute.
Perak continued their winning ways by defeating last year’s runner up Terengganu 3-1 to consolidate their lead in Group B.
And the battle of the east coast states, between Kelantan and Pahang, ended scoreless.
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