MHL : Ernst and Young clinch Div 1 crown with three matches to go

Ernst and Young turned on the heat in the second half to chalk up a hard-fought 2-0 win over Sapura in a tense match to retain the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Division One title at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium yesterday.

The victory gave Ernst and Young an unassailable lead with three matches to spare — against the National Juniors tomorrow, Tenaga Na­­sional on Sunday and Maybank on Wednesday.

Ernst and Young with 17 players from the national training squad in their ranks certainly stamp their dominance in clinching the title for the third consecutive time. They now have a 100% win record from seven matches.

But yesterday, they had to work hard for victory. They had two penalty corners in the first half but drew blanks.

Sapura, powered by two South Koreans, meanwhile, looked the more dangerous side in attack but were let down by poor finishing.

Forward Tengku Ahmad Tajud­din gave Ernst and Young the lead in the 38th minute. He beat two defenders before flicking the ball past goalkeeper Nasihin Nubli. They kept up the pressure and increased the lead in the 64th minute with Chua Boon Huat latching on to a through pass from skipper Azlan Misron to hit home with a reverse stick attempt.

The only blemish for Ernst and Young was when Tengku Ahmad was sent to the sin bin in the 65th minute for yelling at umpire Ravinderpal Singh.

Ernst and Young coach K. Dharmaraj said that the pressure was on them to win the match and he praised his players for taking their chances well.

“Matches against Sapura have always been very close. I am happy with my players for playing an all-out attacking game to finally break down our opponents in the second half to seal the title,’’ added Dharmaraj.

It was the second title claimed by Ernst and Young in three days. They emerged as champions of the Asian Champion Clubs tournament on Sunday and will represent Asia in the world club championship in Barcelona in January.

In another Division One match played at the Seremban II Hockey Stadium, former champions Maybank were held to a 0-0 draw by the National Juniors.