MHL : Knockout Stage

League champions Ernst and Young have virtually confirmed their place in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) semi-final after a thumping 12-0 win over the Royal Malay Regiment (RMR) in a quarter-final, first-leg match at the National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Hat-trick hero Craig Fernandez was the toast for Ernst and Young. Baljit Singh Sarjab, Chua Boon Huat, Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim and Ismail Abu scored two goals each while Kelvinder Singh netted one.

Ernst and Young team manager George Koshy said he was surprised with the margin of victory over the Division Two runners-up.

“We never expected to score such a big win over RMR. It’s an excellent result for us and we are as good as assured of a semi-final place,” he said. “RMR are not in our class.”

Former champions Sapura can also start planning for the semi-finals after romping to a 5-0 win over Division Two champions Jurutera Letrik Jentera (JLJ).

Defending overall champions Tenaga Nasional, meanwhile, had to come back from a goal down to hold the National Juniors to a 1-1 draw at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.