The women’s national hockey team are expected to undergo a one-week training stint in Perth from May 23.
This is in preparation for the Champions Challenge II in Kazan, Russia, from June 21-27.
Malaysian Women’s Hockey Association honorary secretary Dr S. Shamala said the team, currently training at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, would use the Perth training stint as their final preparation ahead of the Russian tournament.
“The Champions Challenge II is important as it will give Malaysia a chance to improve on the current world rankings,” Shamala said yesterday.
“The women’s team are currently 24th in Division Two of the world rankings and a top 12 rating will enable the team to move up to Division One.”
The other teams who have confirmed participation in the Champions Challenge II are Belgium, Ireland, Chile, India, Ukraine, Canada and Russia.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Div2 :: Dangerous and Mohd Noor gunning for top scorer award
The top scorer’s award for this year’s Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) Under-19 competition is likely to be settled when Bukit Jalil Sports School and Bandar Penawar Sports School clash in the final on Sunday.
K. Satesh of Division Three club Nur Insafi leads the scoring chart with 14 goals. Next comes BJSS’ Dangerous Lee and BPSS’ Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, who both have 13 goals.
With the two sports schools squaring up in the final at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil this weekend, the money’s on either Dangerous or Mohd Noor to end up with the top scorer gong.
Dangerous, of Sarawak, has scored six field goals, six penalty corner goals and one from the spot.
All except one of Mohd Noor’s goals have come from penalty corner flicks. The other one was from a penalty stroke.
The 18-year-old Mohd Noor said that he would be on a double mission in Sunday’s final.
“I want to help my team to win the elusive overall title and score more than a goal to win the top scorer’s award for the first time,” he said.
“I have scored hat-tricks in a match before ... I can do it again.”
He was pleased to hear that the final had been postponed from yesterday to Sunday, saying it would give him more time and opportunities to work on the penalty corner set pieces.
“We have no experience playing in the final but it will not stop us from trying to get the better of BJSS. We beat them 4-1 in the last league match and we can do it again,” he said.
But that win came after BJSS had already sealed the league title.
BJSS, who have won the league title for the seventh consecutive time, will be gunning their fifth overall title on Sunday.
K. Satesh of Division Three club Nur Insafi leads the scoring chart with 14 goals. Next comes BJSS’ Dangerous Lee and BPSS’ Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, who both have 13 goals.
With the two sports schools squaring up in the final at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil this weekend, the money’s on either Dangerous or Mohd Noor to end up with the top scorer gong.
Dangerous, of Sarawak, has scored six field goals, six penalty corner goals and one from the spot.
All except one of Mohd Noor’s goals have come from penalty corner flicks. The other one was from a penalty stroke.
The 18-year-old Mohd Noor said that he would be on a double mission in Sunday’s final.
“I want to help my team to win the elusive overall title and score more than a goal to win the top scorer’s award for the first time,” he said.
“I have scored hat-tricks in a match before ... I can do it again.”
He was pleased to hear that the final had been postponed from yesterday to Sunday, saying it would give him more time and opportunities to work on the penalty corner set pieces.
“We have no experience playing in the final but it will not stop us from trying to get the better of BJSS. We beat them 4-1 in the last league match and we can do it again,” he said.
But that win came after BJSS had already sealed the league title.
BJSS, who have won the league title for the seventh consecutive time, will be gunning their fifth overall title on Sunday.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Div2 :: BJSS and BPSS set up an all-Sports School final
It will be an all-Sports School final – the first-ever between the two teams – for the overall title in the Malaysia Hockey League (Under-19 category) on Wednesday.
Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) chalked up 3-2 wins in their semi-final, second-leg ties yesterday to set up the showdown.
BJSS, who won 2-1 in the first-leg, snuffed out Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) hopes of a comeback with three goals in the first-half at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Although MBPJ managed to get two goals, BJSS were comfortable 5-3 winners on aggregate.
Over at the Bandar Penawar Hockey Stadium, BPSS had a 4-1 lead over Tenaga Nasional from the first-leg but found themselves down by two goals in the first-half. But BPSS struck three times in the second-half to go through 7-3 on aggregate.
Tenaga took the lead in the 10th minute with a penalty corner goal by Mohd Faiz Adnan.
Seven minutes later Mohd Sabri Mohd scored from another penalty corner to reduce the aggregate score to 4-3 and, suddenly, it seemed like Tenaga might just be able to pull off an upset.
But once Mohd Firhan Ashaari scored for BPSS in the 46th minute, it was as good as game over for Tenaga.
And further goals by Mohd Fitri Saari (48th minute) and Mohd Noor Faeez (55th) were simply icing on the cake for BPSS, who will be playing in their first-ever final since the Junior Hockey League started in 1995.
The BJSS-MBPJ match at the National Hockey Stadium had to be switched from the main pitch, which was in deplorable condition, to the second pitch just before the start.
This switch paid off handsomely for BJSS, who scored three times in 11 first-half minutes.
Mohd Fahmi Faiz got the first in the eighth minute off a penalty corner set piece.
A second penalty corner set piece four minutes later resulted in a penalty stroke for BJSS and Dangerous Lee converted it to make it 2-0.
Then, in the 19th minute, Mohd Izad Hakimi made it 3-0 for the day and 5-1 on aggregate off another penalty corner set piece.
Although Mohd Faiz Shukri (24th minute) and Mohd Aidil Hakimi (44th) reduced the deficit, there was no stopping BJSS from gunning for their 12th title in the series.
BJSS have won the League title seven times and the overall title four times.
Their coach, S. Prakash, said the early goals helped his team settled down and gave them the edge.
“We needed to score early. It would have been a mistake to sit back on the first-leg lead. The players did well to get the early goals and this allowed us to relax a bit in the second-half. We need to get proper rest as the final in just two days away,” he said.
“MBPJ deserve credit for putting up a fight. We need to work harder if we are to retain the title against BPSS.”
MBPJ coach Paul Raj blamed their exit on their inability to defend BPSS’ penalty corner set piece moves, just like in the first-leg.
Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) chalked up 3-2 wins in their semi-final, second-leg ties yesterday to set up the showdown.
BJSS, who won 2-1 in the first-leg, snuffed out Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) hopes of a comeback with three goals in the first-half at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Although MBPJ managed to get two goals, BJSS were comfortable 5-3 winners on aggregate.
Over at the Bandar Penawar Hockey Stadium, BPSS had a 4-1 lead over Tenaga Nasional from the first-leg but found themselves down by two goals in the first-half. But BPSS struck three times in the second-half to go through 7-3 on aggregate.
Tenaga took the lead in the 10th minute with a penalty corner goal by Mohd Faiz Adnan.
Seven minutes later Mohd Sabri Mohd scored from another penalty corner to reduce the aggregate score to 4-3 and, suddenly, it seemed like Tenaga might just be able to pull off an upset.
But once Mohd Firhan Ashaari scored for BPSS in the 46th minute, it was as good as game over for Tenaga.
And further goals by Mohd Fitri Saari (48th minute) and Mohd Noor Faeez (55th) were simply icing on the cake for BPSS, who will be playing in their first-ever final since the Junior Hockey League started in 1995.
The BJSS-MBPJ match at the National Hockey Stadium had to be switched from the main pitch, which was in deplorable condition, to the second pitch just before the start.
This switch paid off handsomely for BJSS, who scored three times in 11 first-half minutes.
Mohd Fahmi Faiz got the first in the eighth minute off a penalty corner set piece.
A second penalty corner set piece four minutes later resulted in a penalty stroke for BJSS and Dangerous Lee converted it to make it 2-0.
Then, in the 19th minute, Mohd Izad Hakimi made it 3-0 for the day and 5-1 on aggregate off another penalty corner set piece.
Although Mohd Faiz Shukri (24th minute) and Mohd Aidil Hakimi (44th) reduced the deficit, there was no stopping BJSS from gunning for their 12th title in the series.
BJSS have won the League title seven times and the overall title four times.
Their coach, S. Prakash, said the early goals helped his team settled down and gave them the edge.
“We needed to score early. It would have been a mistake to sit back on the first-leg lead. The players did well to get the early goals and this allowed us to relax a bit in the second-half. We need to get proper rest as the final in just two days away,” he said.
“MBPJ deserve credit for putting up a fight. We need to work harder if we are to retain the title against BPSS.”
MBPJ coach Paul Raj blamed their exit on their inability to defend BPSS’ penalty corner set piece moves, just like in the first-leg.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Selvaraju turns down chance to play in France
Forward S. Selvaraju has turned down the chance to feature in the French Hockey League because of his national team commitment.
The 23-year-old Perak player said yesterday that he was invited by former international James Moorthy last month to play for French Division One outift, Racing Sander Club.
“I could not go as my priority is to represent Malaysia in the Asia Cup tournament in Kuantan (from May 9-16),” said Selvaraju.
Selvaraju, with 40 international caps to his credit, instead offered his place in the French club to his brother, former National Junior Bubalan.
“My brother, who plays as a defender for Tenaga Nasional in the MHL (Malaysia Hockey League), was delighted to play in the French League. Forward Davindran (Jai Kumar), who played for Nur Insafi in the MHL last year, was also selected to play in the French League,” said Selvaraju.
He said both the players left for France two weeks ago and had played four matches thus far, winning three and drawing one.
This is the second time this year that Selvaraju has turned down the chance to play in Europe because of national duty, having rejected the chance for a second fling with Berliner Club in the German League, which begins this month. He had played for the German club last September.
The 23-year-old Perak player said yesterday that he was invited by former international James Moorthy last month to play for French Division One outift, Racing Sander Club.
“I could not go as my priority is to represent Malaysia in the Asia Cup tournament in Kuantan (from May 9-16),” said Selvaraju.
Selvaraju, with 40 international caps to his credit, instead offered his place in the French club to his brother, former National Junior Bubalan.
“My brother, who plays as a defender for Tenaga Nasional in the MHL (Malaysia Hockey League), was delighted to play in the French League. Forward Davindran (Jai Kumar), who played for Nur Insafi in the MHL last year, was also selected to play in the French League,” said Selvaraju.
He said both the players left for France two weeks ago and had played four matches thus far, winning three and drawing one.
This is the second time this year that Selvaraju has turned down the chance to play in Europe because of national duty, having rejected the chance for a second fling with Berliner Club in the German League, which begins this month. He had played for the German club last September.
Div2 :: MSN Malacca have to bank on error-prone goalkeeper
MSN Malacca coach G. Ravindran will have no choice but to bank on error-prone goalkeeper Mohd Raizal Azmi for their quarter-final, return-leg match against Tenaga Nasional in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Under-19 competition today.
Ravindran blamed Raizal for letting the team down by conceding three easy first-half goals in their 2-3 first-leg defeat in Malacca on Sunday.
“We, however, fought back in the second-half to narrow the deficit,” said Ravindran, who said he had no choice but to rely on Raizal for the return-leg, which will be played at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.
The coach said their reserve goalkeeper Mohd Zul Amirul Akmal Mohd Ali was inexperienced.
“I hope Raizal will rise to occasion and give his best in the crucial return-leg tie. We will play an attacking game to get the early goals,” said Ravindran, who will be counting on defender Mohd Hanif Rahim, their top scorer with 11 goals from 12 matches, to deliver the goods from penalty-corner set pieces.
Tenaga assistant team manager Jasbere Singh, meanwhile, said they would play a cautious game as “MSN Malacca are a good team with strong fighting spirit.
“They proved this on Sunday by coming back from three goals down to score twice in the second-half. We stand a 50-50 chance of reaching the semi-finals.”
In another tie, Division Three champions Nur Insafi will be seeking to overturn a two-goal deficit when they take on Division Two runners-up Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) today.
Nur Insafi coach S. Tatchanamurthy said the battle was far from over although his team lost the first-leg 2-4.
Division Two League champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), however, should have no problems reaching the semi-finals after notching big wins in the first-leg.
BJSS hammered Division Three runners-up SMK Temerloh 9-0 while MBPJ defeated Anderson of Ipoh 3-0.
Ravindran blamed Raizal for letting the team down by conceding three easy first-half goals in their 2-3 first-leg defeat in Malacca on Sunday.
“We, however, fought back in the second-half to narrow the deficit,” said Ravindran, who said he had no choice but to rely on Raizal for the return-leg, which will be played at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.
The coach said their reserve goalkeeper Mohd Zul Amirul Akmal Mohd Ali was inexperienced.
“I hope Raizal will rise to occasion and give his best in the crucial return-leg tie. We will play an attacking game to get the early goals,” said Ravindran, who will be counting on defender Mohd Hanif Rahim, their top scorer with 11 goals from 12 matches, to deliver the goods from penalty-corner set pieces.
Tenaga assistant team manager Jasbere Singh, meanwhile, said they would play a cautious game as “MSN Malacca are a good team with strong fighting spirit.
“They proved this on Sunday by coming back from three goals down to score twice in the second-half. We stand a 50-50 chance of reaching the semi-finals.”
In another tie, Division Three champions Nur Insafi will be seeking to overturn a two-goal deficit when they take on Division Two runners-up Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) today.
Nur Insafi coach S. Tatchanamurthy said the battle was far from over although his team lost the first-leg 2-4.
Division Two League champions Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), however, should have no problems reaching the semi-finals after notching big wins in the first-leg.
BJSS hammered Division Three runners-up SMK Temerloh 9-0 while MBPJ defeated Anderson of Ipoh 3-0.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Div2 :: BJSS and MBPJ already preparing for semi-final matches
The quarter-finals of the Malaysia Hockey League Under-19 category are still ongoing but Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) are already preparing for their semi-final matches.
The duo are set to go through to the last four after securing comfortable leads in their quarter-final first leg matches on Sunday.
Tomorrow’s return leg will be used by both teams as a build-up for the two-leg semi-finals on April 24 and 26.
BJSS defeated SMK Temerloh 9-0 while MBPJ were 3-0 winners over Anderson of Ipoh.
For BJSS coach S. Prakash, his concern now is the semi-finals and he will allow the reserves to gain some exposure in tomorrow’s return leg.
“We will not push the players hard in the return leg. We will try and use it to experiment and to improve on our team work. The semis will be tough as the PJ side are good,” said Prakash.
Despite having a three-goal margin, MBPJ will not take it easy. In the preliminary round, Anderson defeated MBPJ 2-0 in Ipoh. With the return leg in Ipoh, the PJ side will take a cautious approach to the game.
Two other matches in the bottom half are still far from being resolved.
Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) have a 4-2 win over Division Three champions Nur Insafi while Tenaga Nasional hold a slim 3-2 win over MSN Malacca.
BPSS needed two late goals to take the two-goal lead and they will face a very determined Penang side in the return match.
Nur Insafi coach S. Tatchanamurty said that they would continue to fight despite having a depleted side.
“The players did well in the first leg as we led the sports school twice. Only a lapse in the last one minute proved fatal. Still we intend to give our best,” said Tatchanamurty.
For Malacca, they have to take the initiative to attack Tenaga tomorrow.
In the first leg, they fought back from three goals down to end up 2-3 losers.
Said Malacca coach Azrul Effendy Bistamann: “ We have to take the fight to Tenaga and go for an early goal.
“There is no doubt that we have the ability to score goals and we have to be more consistent throughout the game. We need to attack and an early goal will give us a fighting chance.”
The duo are set to go through to the last four after securing comfortable leads in their quarter-final first leg matches on Sunday.
Tomorrow’s return leg will be used by both teams as a build-up for the two-leg semi-finals on April 24 and 26.
BJSS defeated SMK Temerloh 9-0 while MBPJ were 3-0 winners over Anderson of Ipoh.
For BJSS coach S. Prakash, his concern now is the semi-finals and he will allow the reserves to gain some exposure in tomorrow’s return leg.
“We will not push the players hard in the return leg. We will try and use it to experiment and to improve on our team work. The semis will be tough as the PJ side are good,” said Prakash.
Despite having a three-goal margin, MBPJ will not take it easy. In the preliminary round, Anderson defeated MBPJ 2-0 in Ipoh. With the return leg in Ipoh, the PJ side will take a cautious approach to the game.
Two other matches in the bottom half are still far from being resolved.
Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) have a 4-2 win over Division Three champions Nur Insafi while Tenaga Nasional hold a slim 3-2 win over MSN Malacca.
BPSS needed two late goals to take the two-goal lead and they will face a very determined Penang side in the return match.
Nur Insafi coach S. Tatchanamurty said that they would continue to fight despite having a depleted side.
“The players did well in the first leg as we led the sports school twice. Only a lapse in the last one minute proved fatal. Still we intend to give our best,” said Tatchanamurty.
For Malacca, they have to take the initiative to attack Tenaga tomorrow.
In the first leg, they fought back from three goals down to end up 2-3 losers.
Said Malacca coach Azrul Effendy Bistamann: “ We have to take the fight to Tenaga and go for an early goal.
“There is no doubt that we have the ability to score goals and we have to be more consistent throughout the game. We need to attack and an early goal will give us a fighting chance.”
Asia Cup :: Our senior team to test Kuantan pitch for three days
The national hockey team will go to Kuantan next week to test out the pitch at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium where the Asia Cup will be held from May 9-16.
The facilities at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium including the pitch are undergoing repairs and will only be ready by the end of the week.
Team manager George Koshy said yesterday that the three-day trip would help the players to learn about the conditions there.
“It is pointless going for a long period as a lot of the players have exams here. We will make our final selection of 18 players after the trip.
“We plan to go back to Kuantan in early May and hope to play a couple of matches before the tournament starts,” said George.
The Malaysians have also scheduled a match against Pakistan on May 5 in Kuantan. They also have a request from Bangladesh for a game.
“We will play Bangladesh but the venue is not confirmed yet. They are coming early and we may play them in Kuala Lumpur before going to Kuantan,” he said.
On their preparations for the Asia Cup, Koshy said: “We are now working on the weaknesses that surfaced during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (in Ipoh earlier this month).
“Our penalty corner executions were not as potent as it should be in Ipoh. We did try out certain variations but it was mostly direct flicks or hits. We have other options and will be training and using them during the Asia Cup,” said Koshy.
Malaysia are in Group A together with South Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup.
India, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh are in Group B.
The facilities at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium including the pitch are undergoing repairs and will only be ready by the end of the week.
Team manager George Koshy said yesterday that the three-day trip would help the players to learn about the conditions there.
“It is pointless going for a long period as a lot of the players have exams here. We will make our final selection of 18 players after the trip.
“We plan to go back to Kuantan in early May and hope to play a couple of matches before the tournament starts,” said George.
The Malaysians have also scheduled a match against Pakistan on May 5 in Kuantan. They also have a request from Bangladesh for a game.
“We will play Bangladesh but the venue is not confirmed yet. They are coming early and we may play them in Kuala Lumpur before going to Kuantan,” he said.
On their preparations for the Asia Cup, Koshy said: “We are now working on the weaknesses that surfaced during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (in Ipoh earlier this month).
“Our penalty corner executions were not as potent as it should be in Ipoh. We did try out certain variations but it was mostly direct flicks or hits. We have other options and will be training and using them during the Asia Cup,” said Koshy.
Malaysia are in Group A together with South Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup.
India, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh are in Group B.
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