Monday, March 29, 2010

KL survive Negri scare

KUALA Lumpur were made to sweat before they beat Negri Sembilan 2-1 in Division One of the Razak Cup in Kuantan yesterday.
Shahrun Nabil gave KL the lead in the 15th minute, only to see S. Kuhan equalise for Negri in the 36th minute.
The score remained until the 63rd minute, but Amin Rahim delivered the three points for 19-times champions KL off a penalty corner attempt to take them to the top of the standings.
Meanwhile, in another Division One match Penang shocked Johor 4-2 with hat-trick hero Izwan Firdaus scoring in the 25th, 59th and 65th minutes. The other goal was scored by Ahmad Termizi in the 58th minute.
Baljit Singh Sarjab scored both Johor’s goals in the 40th and 43rd minutes.
Penang coach Bob Rajendran feels his charges have placed themselves for a place in the final, again, after their initial defeat to KL.
“My players made a concerted effort in the second half which paid off and now we will be looking forward to winning our match against Negri tomorrow (today) and then Perak the next day to keep the fire burning,” said Bob.
RESULTS: Division One -- Armed Forces 0 Malacca 2, Penang 4 Johor 2, Negri 1 Kuala Lumpur 2; Division Two: Group A: Police 2 Kedah 0, Sabah 1 Singapore 7.
TODAY: Division One: Penang v Negri (3pm), Johor v Malacca (5pm), Perak v Armed Forces (7pm); division Two: Perlis v Brunei (3pm), Terengganu v Selangor (5pm).
All matches at Pitch I and II of the Kuantan Stadium.

STANDINGS

DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pt
K LUMPUR 4 3 1 0 11 3 10
PERAK 3 3 0 0 7 1 9
PENANG 3 2 0 1 8 10 6
MALACCA 4 1 1 2 2 4 4
JOHOR 4 1 1 2 6 9 4
NEGRI 3 0 1 2 2 5 1
FORCES 3 0 0 3 4 8 0

DIVISION TWO
GROUP A
P W D L F A Pt
SINGAPORE 3 3 0 0 14 2 9
KELANTAN 2 2 0 0 6 3 6
POLICE 2 1 0 1 3 4 3
SABAH 2 0 0 2 1 10 0
KEDAH 3 0 0 3 1 8 0

GROUP B

P W D L F A Pt
PAHANG 2 2 0 0 14 3 6
SELANGOR 2 2 0 0 10 1 6
PERLIS 1 0 0 1 1 3 0
TERENGGANU 1 0 0 1 3 5 0
BRUNEI 2 0 0 2 0 16 0

19 teams for Junior League

EIGHTEEN boys and one ladies team will be competing in the Junior Hockey League (JHL) starting on April 9.
The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) have accom modated a request from the national women’s hockey squad for the first time since the inception of the JHL.
Nine teams, including the women. are in Division One while 10 teams are in Division Two.
The women are preparing for the World Cup Qualifier in Santiago, Chile where they will be up against the hosts, Australia, Ireland and Scotland for the single ticket to the World Cup in Rosario, Argentina on Aug 29-Sept 11.
DIVISION ONE: Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), Bukit Jalil Sports School Juniors (BJSS JR), Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (PJMC), Kelantan, Bandar Penawar Juniors, An derson, Bandar Penawar Thunderbolt, UniKL, Malaysian Women’s Hockey Association (MWHA).
DIVISION TWO: MATRI, Datuk Taha Juniors, Tunku Besar Juniors, Kuala Selangor, Penang Free School, Sabah, Teknik Klang, Pahang, Johor, Ipoh City Council.

Perak hunting for gold

DIVISION One leaders Perak want to improve on the fifth placing achieved last season, as coach Manjit Singh believe they are better prepared for the 48th Edition of the Razak Cup in Kuantan.
And with nine points after three matches, Perak are the team to beat for the title this year.
"I am looking at another six points which should take us into the final, and then take it from there. My team is better prepared this season, and should be able to achieve their target before the last match," said Manjit Singh.
Perak next play Armed Forces on Tuesday, and then Penang on Wednesday. Six points from the two matches should see them through to the final, with one match against Kuala Lumpur, on Friday, in hand.
"Most of the teams are well prepared this year, and we must win the next two matchs so that the pressure will be leas when we play our last match against Kuala Lumpur."
Manjit left Kuantan for KL yesterday because the national under-16 team checked into camp, and he is one of their coaches.
"I will travel up and down, training the under-16 and also the Perak players, but if my team plays in the final, I will not be available as I have to be with the under-16 players in KL," said Manjit.
The seasoned coach believes the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) did the right thing when they mad eit mandatory for each team to have four under-21 players, while two must be on the pitch at any given time.
"My young players are from the Project 2013 squad and all four have been carrying their weight well so far.
"In fact, against Johor, I had all four palyers on the pitch for long periods, and they delivered. But some of the team are struggling because their young players are slow to adapt.
"However, this rule should be maintained in the Razak Cup, as it will expose a big numer of youth at a young age," said Manjit.
Kuala Lumpur are one step behind Perak, after they dropped points in the 1-1 draw against Johor but they have the depth to pull through in their remaining matches.
MONDAY: Division One -- Armed Forces v Malacca (3pm), Penang v Johor (5pm), Negri v Kuala Lumpur (7pm); Division Two: Police v Kedah (3pm), Sabah v Singapore (5pm).
All matches at Pitch I and II of the Kuantan Stadium.