Fifth consecutive title looms for Thunderbolts

SSTMI Thunderbolts sidestepped UniKL Young Guns 4-1 in Division One of the Junior Hockey League at the Bukit Jalil Stadium to virtually seal their fifth title in a row.
   The defending champions now only have one match against Kuala Lumpur Sports School at their fort in Taman
Daya on Valentines Day to confirm their title.
    Yesterday, Thunderbolts skipper Aminudin Zain scored a brace off penalty corners in the 31st and 40th minutes
to give his side an early boost.
     Aminuddin has scored six goals to date, equalling his team-mate Najmi Farizal's count. Najmi was suspended for
the match against UniKL, for picking up maximum demerit points while playing against Malacca High School on
Friday.
   Yesterday, Aminuddin was also benched for a green, and then limped out in the 52th minute after picking up an
injury while attempting to score another penalty corner goal.
    However, in the 54th minute, Thunderbolts increased their lead when Firdaus Omar's penalty corner attempt was
deflected into goal by Najib Abu Hassan.
    UniKL's Ikwan Ishak pulled one back in the 56th minute, but Ammar Zahari made the final score 4-1 in favour of
Thunderbolts with a simple tap in the 67th minute.
    "It is a nice feeling going for our fifth title, as we only have obe more match to complete the fixtures unbeaten.
And UniKL were supposed to be our strongest hurdle, so I'm very happy that my players scored three penalt corners
and one field goal to kill off their challenge," said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Rahman.
   
RESULTS: Division One -- UniKL Young Guns 1 SSTMI Thunderbolts 4, Malacca High School 1 SSTMI Juniors 0.
   Division Two A: Matri 1 MSSp-USM 1, STAR 3 PHKS1.
   Division Two B: Felda Temerloh 12 Permatang Juniors1.
   Division Two C: BJSS 4 TBSS 1.
   TODAY: Division One -- KLSS v Petaling Jaya CC (5pm, Kuala Lumpur HA).
   Division Two A: 1MAS Penang v PHKS (5pm, USM), Nur Insafi v Syed Hassan (5pm, Sungain Petani).
   Division Two B: Padang Midin v KLSS juniors (5pm, Kuala Terengganu), MSP Pahang Juniors v Olak-PKT (5pm,
Kuantan).
   Division Two C: Datuk Taha v BJSS Juniors (5pm, Seremban II).
DIVISION ONE
                    P  W  D  L  F   A  Pts
TH’BOLTS    5   5   0  0  30 4    15
UNIKL          4 3    0   1   14  4  9
PJCC             4 3    0   1  9   9  9
MHS             6 1    2    3   7 18  5
KLSS            3 1     1   1   5 5 4
ANDERSON  5 0    2   3   4 14  2
SSTMI JNRS 5 0     1    4   3 18  1
DIVISION TWO A
                           P  W  D  L   F    A  Pts
NUR INSAFI        6  6   0   0   21   6    18
BAKAT                5  4   0  1   13   7    12
SYED HASSAN    4  3   1   0   14   3   10
MSSPP-USM        6  2   1  3    12  12    7
MATRI PERLIS    5  1  2   2    6    7    5
STAR                  6  1   1   4   6    21  4
1MAS PENANG   4  0   1   3    3   9    1
PHKS                  4  0   0   4   2    12    0

DIVISION TWO B
                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
OLAK-PKT               5  5    0   0    26    4   15
PAHANG JRS           6   4   2   0    23     6   14
PDG MIDIN              4   3   0   1    24     4    9
FELDA TEMERLOH 5   2    1   2    19     9    7
KLSS JRS                  6  2   0   4     13    20   6
LARUT MATANG     5   1   2   2    13     15    5
1MAS PERAK           5   1   1   3    9      11    4
PERMATANG JRS     6  0   0   6     5    64   0

DIVISION TWO C
                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
POLITEKNIK          4    4    0    0   23    3    12
BJSS                      5    4    0     1   18    7     12
BENTARA LUAR    4    3    0     1   17    6     9
SMKTB                  5    2    1     2   9     14    7
SMKDMT               4    0    1     3    3     14   1
BJSS JRS                4    0    1     3     4    14   1
PHDK                     4    0    1    3     4     20   1

UniKL and Thunderbolts score convincing wins...

UNIKL Young Guns were late bloomers, as they only powered ahead in the second half to beat SSTMI Juniors 6-0 in
Division One of the Junior Hockey League at the Bukit Jalil Stadium yesterday.
    And at the Malacca Stadium, SSTMI Thunderbolts beat Malacca High School 7-2 to set up a mouth watering duel
today.
   UniKL and Thunderbolts square off today in what could be the Division One title showdown.
   "We wasted many penalty corner attempts, but the boys made up with field goals in the second half, and I expect
my strikers to deliver again when we play Thunderbolts tomorrow (today)," said UniKL coach Rodhanizam Radzi.
   Defending champions Thunderbolts, however, we dealt a severe blow as their penalty corner ace Najmi Farizal will
not be able to play against UniKL today as he picked up a yellow card against Malacca High School.
   "Najmi scored a hat-trick against Malacca, but in his gung-ho attempt to win the match for us he picked up his
second yellow card of the tournament and will serve his suspension when we play UniKL.
   "This (UniKL match) could well decide the Division One title, and even though we will be without our main penalty
corner flicker, I still have faith in my players to deliver three points," said Thunderbolts coach Wan Roslan Rahman.
    The Thunderbolts goals were scored by Sufi Ismat (fourth), Nik Aiman Rozemi (12th), M. Saravanan (25th), Najmi
Farizal (38th, 61st, 67th), Najib Hassan (45th).
    The Malacca scorers were Amirul Hakim (21st) and Haniff Razak (49th).
    As for UniKL, their goals were scored by Mohamed Shafirrul Akmal (27th), Zizi Azwan Hassan (30th), Rahimi (45th,
55th, 64th), Hafif Elkan (67th).


RESULTS: Division One -- Malacca High Schhool 2 SSTMI Thunderbolts 7, UniKL Young Guns 6 SSTMI Juniors 0.
    Division Two A: Syed Hassan 4 MSSP-USM 1, STAR 1 Nur Insafi 3.
    Division Two B: KLSS Juniors 6 Larut Matang 2, MSS Pahang 13 Permatang Juniors 1, Padang Midin 4 1MAS
Perak 0.
   Division Two C: SM Tunku Besar 1 BJSS Juniors 1.
    TODAY: Division One -- UniKL Young Guns v SSTMI Thunderbolts (5pm, Bukit Jalil, Pitch II), Malacca High
School v SSTMI Juniors (5pm, Malacca Stadium).
   Division Two A: Matri v MSSp-USM (5pm, Kuala Perlis), STAR v PHKS (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
   Division Two B: Felda Temerloh v Permatang Juniors (5pm, Temerloh).
   Division Two C: SM Tunku Besar v BJSS (5pm, Seremban II).
DIVISION ONE
                    P  W  D  L  F   A  Pts
TH’BOLTS    4   4   0  0  26 3    12
UNIKL          3 3    0   0   13  0  9
PJCC             4 3    0   1  9   9  9
KLSS            3 1     1   1   5 5 4
ANDERSON  5 0    2   3   4 14  2
MHS             5 0    2    3   6 18  2
SSTMI JNRS 4 0     1    3   3 17  1
DIVISION TWO A
                           P  W  D  L   F    A  Pts
NUR INSAFI        6  6   0   0   21   6    18
BAKAT                5  4   0  1   13   7    12
SYED HASSAN    4  3   1   0   14   3   10
MSSPP-USM        5  2   0  3    11  11    6
MATRI PERLIS    4  1  1   2    5    6    4
1MAS PENANG   4  0   1   3    3   9    1
STAR                  5  0   1   4   3    20  1
PHKS                  3  0   0   3   1    9    0

DIVISION TWO B
                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
OLAK-PKT               5  5    0   0    26    4   15
PAHANG JRS           6   4   2   0    23     6   14
PDG MIDIN              4   3   0   1    24     4    9
KLSS JRS                  6  2   0   4     13    20   6
LARUT MATANG     5   1   2   2    13     15    5
1MAS PERAK           5   1   1   3    9      11    4
FELDA TEMERLOH 4   1    1   2    7     8    4
PERMATANG JRS     5  0   0   5     4    52   0

DIVISION TWO C
                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
POLITEKNIK          4    4    0    0   23    3    12
BENTARA LUAR    4    3    0     1   17    6     9
BJSS                      4    3    0     1   14    6     9
SMKTB                  4    2    1     1    8     10    7
SMKDMT               4    0    1     3    3     14   1
PHDK                     4    0    1    3     4     20   1
BJSS JRS                4    0    1     3     4    14   1

Olak game to save Pandamaran turf..

FORMER double champions Old La Sallians Association of Klang (Olak) have been training on a tattered and fungus infested artificial pitch, but still, they remain unbeaten after five matches in Division Two B of the Junior Hockey League.
    And with two more matches to play, against Pahang Juniors this Sunday and SMK Padang Midin on Feb 15, Olak team manager Joseph de Silva wants to prove a point to help re-turf the Pandamaran Stadium artificial pitch.
   “We had no choice but to train at the Pandamaran Stadium before the JHL started, and are still using it for training purposes even though it is torn and tattered in several spots.
    “And I hope my boys keep up the momentum and win their remaining two matches so that those who have the power to repair the pitch, will notice our progress, and finally help us to re-turf the pitch,” said de Silva.
    In the five matches Olak have played, against teams who have better home facilities, they won 6-0 against Kuala Lumpur HC, 10-1 against Permatang Juniors, 3-1 against Felda Academy Pahang, 5-1 against Larut Matang and Selama and 2-1 against 1Mas Perak.
    The Pandamaran Stadium was declared as unplayable by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC): “That is why we play our home matches at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium. But training is still at Pandamaran, even though the artificial pitch is in deplorable state.
    “We had to utilise the club funds to wash the fungus at the Pandamaran artificial pitch to continue training there, but it has all been worth it as my boys have proven themselves by scoring 26 goals and conceding only four in five matches.”
     Meanwhile, the Division One title is expected to be decided by tomorrow, when title front-runners UniKL Young Guns and SSTMI Thunderbolts come face-to-face.
   But before that, today, UniKL needs to beat SSTMI Juniors while Thunderbolts must beat Malacca High School to set up the finale duel.
    TODAY: Division One -- Malacca High Schhool v SSTMI Thunderbolts (5pm, Malacca Stadium), UniKL Young Guns v  SSTMI Juniors (5pm, Bukit Jalil, Pitch II).
    Division Two A: Syed Hassan v MSSP-USM (5pm, Kuala Perlis), STAR v Nur Insafi (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
    Division Two B: KLSS Juniors v larut Matang (5pm, Kuala Lumpur HA), MSS Pahang v Permatang Juniors (5pm, Kuantan), Padang Midin v 1MAS Perak (5pm, Kuala Terengganu).
   Division Two C: SM Tunku Besar v BJSS Juniors (5pm, Seremban II), Politeknik KPM v SMK Bentara Luar (5pm, Taman Daya).
    TOMORROW: Division One -- UniKL Young Guns v SSTMI Thunderbolts (5pm, Bukit Jalil, Pitch II), Malacca High School v SSTMI Juniors (5pm, Malacca Stadium).
   Division Two A: Matri v MSSp-USM (5pm, Kuala Perlis), STAR v PHKS (5pm, Azlan Shah Stadium).
   Division Two B: Felda Temerloh v Permatang Juniors (5pm, Temerloh).
   Division Two C: SM Tunku Besar v BJSS (5pm, Seremban II).

DIVISION ONE

                    P  W  D  L  F   A  Pts
TH’BOLTS    3   3   0  0  19 1    9
PJCC             4 3    0   1  9   9  9
UNIKL          2 2    0   0   7  0  6
ANDERSON  5 1    2   2   6 12  5
MHS             4 0    2    2   4 11  2
KLSS            3 0     1   2   3 7  1
SSTMI JNRS 3 0     1    2   3 11  1

DIVISION TWO A

                           P  W  D  L   F    A  Pts
NUR INSAFI        5  5   0   0   18   5    15
BAKAT                5  4   0  1   13   7    12
SYED HASSAN    3  2   1   0   10   2    7
MSSPP-USM        4  2   0  2    10  7    6
MATRI PERLIS    4  1  1   2    5    6    4
1MAS PENANG   4  0   1   3    3   9    1
STAR                  4  0   1   3   2    17  1
PHKS                  3  0   0   3   1    9    0

DIVISION TWO B

                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
OLAK-PKT               5  5    0   0    26    4   15
PAHANG JRS           5   3   2   0    10     5   11
PDG MIDIN              3   2   0   1    20     4    6
LARUT MATANG     4   1   2   1    11     9    5
1MAS PERAK           4   1   1   2    9      7    4
FELDA TEMERLOH 4   1    1   2    7     8    4
KLSS JRS                  5  1   0   4     7    18   3
PERMATANG JRS     4  0   0   4     3    38   0

DIVISION TWO C

                              P    W  D    L   F     A    Pts
POLITEKNIK          4    4    0    0   23    3    12
BENTARA LUAR    4    3    0     1   17    6     9
BJSS                      4    3    0     1   14    6     9
SMKTB                  3    2    0     1    7     9     6
SMKDMT               4    0    1     3    3     14   1
PHDK                     4    0    1    3     4     20   1
BJSS JRS                3    0    0     3     3    13   0

Need a miracle at the Hague opener...

MALAYSIA will need a miracle to beat World No 1 Australia  in their opening Group A match of the World Cup at the  Hague, Netherlands on May 31.
   Ranked lowest at the Hague, the International Hockey  Federation (FIH) has given Malaysia the honour to open the  tournament curtains against the highest ranked team.
  And there is more trouble in the format, as twelve-team  tournament has two groups, with the top-two in each group  moving into the semi-finals, while the rest will battle it out in  the fifth-12th bracket depending on how they fare in the  group stages.
    The tournament format is such that it makes group  matches more important, as the teams which end third in  Group A and Group B will battle it out for the fifth-sixth  spot.
    “Yes, we would need a miracle to beat defending cham pions Australia, so we will concentrate on the other four  teams to make sure we finish as high as possible in Group A,  as the FIH format is a straight playoff with no cross-overs for  cushion,” said national coach K. Dharmaraj.
    World No 13 Malaysia’s other opponents in Group A are  world No 5 Belgium (June 2), world No 4 England (June 5),  world No 10 India (June 7) and world No 9 Spain (June 9).
   In Group B are Olympic champions and world No 2  Germany, Netherlands (No 3), New Zealand (No 6), South  Korea (No 7), Argentina (No 11) and South Africa (No 12).
   “As the lowest ranked team in the tournament, we need to  target a high position in our Group. But our first three  matches will be difficult to win, so, we will go all out to get the  better of India and Spain in the last two matches to avoid  finishing last in the group,” said Dharmaraj.
    But the Australians would surely remember last year’s  Azlan Shah Cup final, where Malaysia took them to the wire  before losing 3-2 with the winner scored seven seconds from  time.
    Then, Faizal Saari and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin scored to  hold Australia 2-2 before Trent Mitton stunned the 15,000  fans with his dying second goal to win Australia’s seventh  Azlan Shah Cup title.

MY TATTOO HORSE...

This horse has been by my side for years, n after midnight, its his year. Happy Chinese New Year guys!