KUALA LUMPUR: Defending boys champions Perak were drawn with Pahang and Malacca in the medal rounds of the National Under-16 tournament at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
And the other group will have Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. A fresh draw of six teams, with none seeded, was held yesterday.
The three teams in each group, X and Y, will play among each other and the champions of Group X will play champions of Group Y in the final. The group runners-up will battle for bronze.
In the women's tournament, Group X is made up of Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah, while Group Y has Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca.
Yesterday, Penang and Malacca were the last boys teams to qualify for the medal rounds.
Penang beat Selangor 2-0 to top Group B with goals from Aliff Aqharni (22nd) and Faris Harizan (42nd).
Penang coach Jivan Mohan, a former national player, said: "We need to improve our penalty corners to have a chance of winning a medal. We won more than 10 penalty corners against three teams in Grou B, but failed to score even one."
Penang topped Group B with seven points, and will meet Group A runners-up Johor and Group C runner-up Kuala Lumpur in the medal round.
RESULTS: Boys -- Group A: Johor 1 Perlis 1, Negri Sembilan 2 Sarawak 2; Group B: Selangor 0 Penang 2.
Girls Group B: Penang 1 Sabah 1, Sarawak 0 Malacca 2.
BOYS:
GROUP X: Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang.
GROUP Y: Perak, Pahang, Malacca.
GIRLS:
GROUP X: Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah.
GROUP Y: Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca.
THURSDAY: Boys -- Johor v Kuala Lumpur (8pm, Pitch I), Perak v Pahang (8pm, Pitch II).
Girls: Terengganu v Pahang (6.45pm, Pitch I), Johor v Kuala Lumpur (6.45pm, Pitch II).
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
UNDER 16: Johor boys look good
KUALA LUMPUR: Johor boys held defending champions Perak to a goalless draw in Group A, to indicate that they are a team to be reckoned with in the National Under-16 tournament.
Playing at the National Hockey Stadium, Johor soaked in all the pressure from Perak and relied on counter-attacks but failed at the last attempt.
The draw saw Perak top Group A on 10 points, while Johor have seven points with a match against Perlis in hand.
Both the teams, as well as Pahang and Kuala Lumpur from Group C have qualified for the medal rounds.
Penang and Malacca look like the best bets to qualify from Group B.
A fresh draw will be conducted today (Wednesday) for a new grouping with three each in two groups. These six teams will be playing for honours.
"Johor is basically made up with boys from Datuk Bentara Luar (School) in Batu Pahat and we have been training for the past two months for this tournament.
"Last year we ended sixth, and now we are looking at a medal performance," said Johor coach Nor Affazly Abdul Gaffar.
And after the Under-16, the boys will compete in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) with funding and coaching expertise from Universti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
RESULTS: Boys Group A: Johor 0 Perak 0, Perlis 1 Sarawak 0; Group B: Selangor 3 Terengganu 1.
Girls Group A: Perlis 0 Kuala Lumpur 4; Group C: Johor 2 Selangor 1, Perak 1 Terengganu 2.
WEDNESDAY: Boys -- Group A: Johor v Perlis (5pm, Pitch I), Negri Sembilan v Sarawak (6.30pm, Pitch I); Group B: Selangor v Penang (5pm, Pitch II).
Girls Group B: Penang v Sabah (7.30am, Pitch I), Sarawak v Malacca (8.45am, Pitch II).
Playing at the National Hockey Stadium, Johor soaked in all the pressure from Perak and relied on counter-attacks but failed at the last attempt.
The draw saw Perak top Group A on 10 points, while Johor have seven points with a match against Perlis in hand.
Both the teams, as well as Pahang and Kuala Lumpur from Group C have qualified for the medal rounds.
Penang and Malacca look like the best bets to qualify from Group B.
A fresh draw will be conducted today (Wednesday) for a new grouping with three each in two groups. These six teams will be playing for honours.
"Johor is basically made up with boys from Datuk Bentara Luar (School) in Batu Pahat and we have been training for the past two months for this tournament.
"Last year we ended sixth, and now we are looking at a medal performance," said Johor coach Nor Affazly Abdul Gaffar.
And after the Under-16, the boys will compete in Division One of the Junior Hockey League (JHL) with funding and coaching expertise from Universti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).
RESULTS: Boys Group A: Johor 0 Perak 0, Perlis 1 Sarawak 0; Group B: Selangor 3 Terengganu 1.
Girls Group A: Perlis 0 Kuala Lumpur 4; Group C: Johor 2 Selangor 1, Perak 1 Terengganu 2.
WEDNESDAY: Boys -- Group A: Johor v Perlis (5pm, Pitch I), Negri Sembilan v Sarawak (6.30pm, Pitch I); Group B: Selangor v Penang (5pm, Pitch II).
Girls Group B: Penang v Sabah (7.30am, Pitch I), Sarawak v Malacca (8.45am, Pitch II).
UNDER 16: Velappan sees improvements
KUALA LUMPUR: 1Mas chief boys coach S. Velappan said the quality of play has improved tremendously in the ongoing National Under-16 tournament as compared to previous years.
There is better preparation from states, the boys have better basis skills and even the coaches employ cunning tactics at this age-group level.
"Most of these boys have gone through the various 1Mas programmes at their states and compared to previous years, I can see vast improvement in many areas.
"The top six boys teams like Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Johor, Penang and Malacca are playing at a maturity level is also better team work, commitment and tactics employed in the ongoing tournament," said Velappan.
The 1Mas programme was started by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) in 2010 with an objective to widen the base and pool of young players in the country.
While it did not work out in some states, many other states are still strongly involved with the MHC programme.
"After this tournament we will select 27 players to be called up for various camps and programmes to make them better. The core group of youth are presently with the Project 2020 team coached by Nor Saiful Zaini, while this Under-16 group will be coached as the second wave of youth talent for the nation," said Velappan.
There is better preparation from states, the boys have better basis skills and even the coaches employ cunning tactics at this age-group level.
"Most of these boys have gone through the various 1Mas programmes at their states and compared to previous years, I can see vast improvement in many areas.
"The top six boys teams like Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Johor, Penang and Malacca are playing at a maturity level is also better team work, commitment and tactics employed in the ongoing tournament," said Velappan.
The 1Mas programme was started by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) in 2010 with an objective to widen the base and pool of young players in the country.
While it did not work out in some states, many other states are still strongly involved with the MHC programme.
"After this tournament we will select 27 players to be called up for various camps and programmes to make them better. The core group of youth are presently with the Project 2020 team coached by Nor Saiful Zaini, while this Under-16 group will be coached as the second wave of youth talent for the nation," said Velappan.
Monday, March 19, 2018
When players become victims of administration issues
Pic: Kirandeep Kaur
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Under-16 hockey tournament is a platform where new talent is supposed to be discovered, while established players impress selectors further.
But this year, an established player was not selected while eighteen boys and eighteen girls from Kedah became victims -- both due to administration issues.
Kirandeep Kaur, has over the years, won many accolades at school, zone and state levels for having the winning touch, as well as being more matured and skillful than her age-group.
At 14, she scored the winning goal in the Under-16 last year. Kuala Lumpur beat Sabah 4-3 thanks to her super fourth goal.
That is not all, national women's chief coach K. Dharmaraj as well as Technical Director Terry Walsh are impressed with her skills and are only waiting for her to grow up before they include her in their plans.
But the 15-year-old became a victim of administration, when it seems there was a mix-up of selection dates, as well as changes in coach and manager -- and she missed the opportunity to play for her state.
In an age where social media groups can inform targeted people where and what time to meet inside seconds, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA) should utilise it to inform parents when and where selections will be done.
KLHA have been utilising social media for some time now, and maybe there was a hiccup this time around. It needs to be looked into.
And then the missed bus story from Kedah Hockey Association (KHA).
Whatever the excuse, KHA failed to do their job well even though the blame was on a bus which broke down, followed by money issues which saw 36 children miss the opportunity of their lives.
They had trained hard and were looking forward to this opportunity to travel to Kuala Lumpur and play at the Natioanl Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
For Kuala Lumpur and Selangor children, its easy to play the the stadium which has hosted many international events including the 2002 World Cup.
But for some kid from Kedah, it might have been his/her only chance to play at the coveted venue as well as a stepping stone to represent the state more often -- be noticed by selectors and represent Malaysia at the Olympics and World Cup in the next decade.
Yes, it all begins at the Under-16 level.
If Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu can find the money to travel and house their players in Kuala Lumpur for nine days, there is no excuse for KHA not to be able to provide the same for their players.
If Kedah Hockey Team can find the money to hire six foreign players for their Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) campaign this year, KHA should also have done their sponsorship rounds for children.
But if KHA continue neglecting age-group development, in the end, they will have to hire more Pakistan and other players to form a team.
That will be penny wise pound foolish, or like the Malay proverb 'Kera di hutan disusukan tetapi anak di pangkuan mati kelaparan.'
As for KLHA, they should have a meeting with the affected party to sort out matters, for helping to nurture good players will look good on their development dossier.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
UNDER 16: KLHA -- Kirandeep did not show up for all days
KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA) insisted Sunday that talented 15-year-old Kirandeep Kaur was not selected for the ongoing National Under-16 tournament because she did not turn up for 'all the selection days'.
KLHA secretary V. Rajamanickam said: "Yes, I agree that Kirandeep Kaur is a very talented player but she also needs to go through the process of selection like other players. It would not be fair to select her if she does not come for all the days, while we drop someone who comes diligently."
It was reported by TimeSport that Kirandeep Kaur came for three days for selection but when the coach and team manager was changed by KLHA, she was not informed about the new venue and dates for selection.
"Yes we did change the coach and manager midway through selection but that is KLHA's preregotive. How come all the other girls knew about the new selection date and venue as well as coach expect for Kirandeep Kaur?," questioned Rajamanickam.
National women's coach K. Dharmaraj has said many times that Kirandeep Kaur is a promising player.
Darmaraj had said: ""I and other selectors have been noticing Kirandeep for a few years now, and after she impressed in the MHL (Women) by turning up for UiTM, Terry Walsh (Malaysian Hockey Confederation Technical Director) told me to include her in the recent four friendlies against Japan Under-21.
"I had to say 'no' because the friendlies were a platform for my other girls to fight for a slot in the Commonwealth Games squad."
Rajamanickam agreed with Dharmaraj but said: "We all know she is talented. But I am sure Dharmaraj has also dropped talented players with discipline problems before.
"We just did the same."
During the final KLHA selection, Kirandeep Kaur was involved with the Kuala Lumpur Schools Sports Council athletics meet where she won three gold medals in 100m, 4x100m, 4x400m and bronze in the 200m.
KLHA secretary V. Rajamanickam said: "Yes, I agree that Kirandeep Kaur is a very talented player but she also needs to go through the process of selection like other players. It would not be fair to select her if she does not come for all the days, while we drop someone who comes diligently."
It was reported by TimeSport that Kirandeep Kaur came for three days for selection but when the coach and team manager was changed by KLHA, she was not informed about the new venue and dates for selection.
"Yes we did change the coach and manager midway through selection but that is KLHA's preregotive. How come all the other girls knew about the new selection date and venue as well as coach expect for Kirandeep Kaur?," questioned Rajamanickam.
National women's coach K. Dharmaraj has said many times that Kirandeep Kaur is a promising player.
Darmaraj had said: ""I and other selectors have been noticing Kirandeep for a few years now, and after she impressed in the MHL (Women) by turning up for UiTM, Terry Walsh (Malaysian Hockey Confederation Technical Director) told me to include her in the recent four friendlies against Japan Under-21.
"I had to say 'no' because the friendlies were a platform for my other girls to fight for a slot in the Commonwealth Games squad."
Rajamanickam agreed with Dharmaraj but said: "We all know she is talented. But I am sure Dharmaraj has also dropped talented players with discipline problems before.
"We just did the same."
During the final KLHA selection, Kirandeep Kaur was involved with the Kuala Lumpur Schools Sports Council athletics meet where she won three gold medals in 100m, 4x100m, 4x400m and bronze in the 200m.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
