News 13 January 2014
All the news for Monday 13 January 2014
Ireland Women beat Spain 4- 2
Ireland's Green Army put yesterday's narrow 3-2 loss firmly behind them when they took to the field for the second day in a row taking on the higher ranked Spain in Terrassa.
Ireland 4 (1) (N Evans, A O'Flynn, M Frazer, A O'Flanagan
Spain 2 (0)(L Ybarra, B Bonastre)
Ireland opened the scoring today in the first half when Anna O'Flangan set up Nikki Evans on her 50th cap for a close range conversion and 1-0 lead at half time.
The home side managed to level the sides with a crash ball through the Irish D which took a deflection off Ybarra to bring them back into the match. Spain took the lead with just six minutes to go thanks to Bonastre but Ireland were awarded a penalty stroke moments later after Megan Frazer's goal bound strike was stopped on the line with a foot. Audrey O'Flynn on her 101st appearance for Ireland duly converted to level at 2-2.
With just two minutes left on the clock, Megan Frazer displayed class with a reverse stick strike making it 3-2 before Anna O'Flanagan copper fastened the victory after a three on one with the Spanish keeper set her up for Ireland's fourth with just five seconds to spare.
Ireland have taken this opportunity to award five new caps over the last two matches, Vanessa Surgenor (Pegasus); Kate Llyod (Railway Union); Chloe Brown (Ards); Yvonne O'Byrne (Cork Harlequins) and Ayeisha McFerran (Randalstown)
13th January
Men Ireland v Spain 15.30 Club Egara (Terrassa)
14th January
Women Ireland v Spain 12.00 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa)
15th January
Women Ireland v Spain 11.30 Terrassa Estadium (Terrassa)
Men Ireland v Spain 15.30 Atletic Terrassa Hockey Club (Terrassa)
Irish Hockey Association media release
Teams utilise rest day to hone their special skills
s2h team
New Delhi - On the rest day on Monday, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany did not rest. They had full practice sessions while Australia and New Zealand preferred to fine tune the specialist skills of their drag flickers with Kookaburras bringing in their goalies too. Even other teams used specific exercises to hone the special skills of drag flickers and goalkeepers.
Indians, who lost both their games thus far, cancelled their scheduled practice session at 7pm and preferred to have a indoor briefing to sort out the `mental issues’.
The Kookaburras will take on Pool B leaders Argentina on Monday. The South Americans have won their opening two matches, beating the Netherlands 5-2 and coming from behind to beat Belgium 3-2.
Argentina has always produced international teams with plenty of talent but over the past year the current men’s team has developed into a side that can challenge the best in the world. Coach Carlos Retegui who coached the Argentina women to World Cup glory in 2010 is the person behind the vast changes that brought about a key change in the team’s fortunes and the team nicknamed “Los Leones” (The Lions) is the one to watch out for as a dark horse, which can upset the applecart of any team.
Australian captain Mark Knowles said, “We played Argentina in the International Super Series in Perth a couple of months ago and they were very good, very skillful on the ball; their body movement and their goal-scoring ability are on display during the matches against the Dutch and Belgium. It’s a big challenge but we don’t come to the top eight tournament in the world and expect any easy games.”
“Argentina are on a roll. They are undefeated. They’ve been playing well and things are working for them so you’ve got to think that’s going to be a very tough match,” felt chief coach Ric Charlesworth.
Argentina are known for their giant-killing acts and though they are rated with a low rank, they have the capacity to strike superb form with their attacking stye and can upset any team on their day.
Meanwhile, the Belgium Team are leaving on stone unturned as far as their preparations are concerned despite the two losses thus far. They feel that the tournament is far from over and one win in the knock out stage could change the whole scenario.
Skipper John Dohmen said: ”We are still in the tournament and are working to fight it out. The upcoming match against Netherlands will be an interesting one. Though they are a strong team, we are trying our best to put forward a good show and give them a tough competition. Our strategy in the match against Netherlands will be to focus more on passing."
Coach Marc Lammers earlier said, “The first two matches against Australia and Argentina did not go well. Especially, Argentina played a strong game and showcased excellent skills. In the upcoming match against Netherlands, we want to play a good game and build up the team’s self confidence for the quarterfinals."
Stick2Hockey.com
Lacklustre India face uphill task against Germany
Uthra Ganesan
India will play its last league match of the Hockey World League Final against Germany on Monday. Going by its performance in the tournament so far, it is likely to be too big a challenge for the host to overcome.
India was not expected to perform miracles before the Hockey World League Final started. Having lost both its games so far, the host is struggling to even put up any semblance of a fight. The team — except for goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh who has done reasonably well — has been unable to plan its game.
India has disappointed the handful of hockey lovers turning up for the games with a complete lack of application. More than the defeats, it is the manner in which they have come that is a cause for concern.
The biggest problem for the team management, as coach Terry Walsh admitted, is the errors being made in basic skills. No amount of planning or chopping and changing can guarantee success if the players are unable to trap the ball or even stop it cleanly.
The format of the tournament, which ensures all eight teams would play the quarterfinals irrespective of league results, may allow some leeway but a losing streak would not help the team.
Coach Terry Walsh has already expressed his displeasure. “The mistakes we made were unbelievable. My job is to now stop the downward spiral in the team’s confidence and performance,” he said after the loss to New Zealand.
Germany, on the other hand, would be raring to bounce back after suffering a rare defeat to England in its previous game. German coach Markus Weise was diplomatic when asked how he rated India as an opposition but made it clear that nothing less than a win would do for his team.
In the other games, confident Argentina, topping Pool B, will take on a wayward Australia, which is yet to display the kind of incisive hockey it is known for.
Belgium, also seeking its first victory the tournament, will play the Netherlands.
The Hindu
India up against German might
Biswajyoti Brahma
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday decided to cancel a scheduled practice session ahead of their third league match against Germany in the Hero Hockey World League Final in an apparent move to give more time to their players to regroup themselves after back-to-back losses in the tournament.
The decision to cancel the session was taken just a few hours before the players were to take the field in the evening.
India's defeats in the first two matches against higher ranked England and New Zealand did not come as a surprise, but the manner in which they have lost has been disappointing to their fans.
The loss against the Black Sticks on Saturday put the hosts at the bottom of Pool A, leaving new chief coach Terry Walsh desperately seeking a way to stem the rot before it's too late.
The Australian admitted that the losses took a toll on the players' confidence. But an improved show against the Olympic champions and world No. 1 Germany on Monday could do wonders to the morale of the young team.
Walsh was very frustrated with the way things have turned out for the hosts so far, but at the same time he gave credit to rival teams for not allowing India to play freely.
"We were very slow and made a lot of skill errors. We did not take early opportunities and there was also no conversion of penalty corners. It was very frustrating," Walsh said, referring to the match against New Zealand.
"There was a lot of play which was very sub-standard and way below the level even slightly acceptable at the highest level against top teams. Making so many skill errors are unbelievable," he said.
"(But) It's not that deliberately the Indians are not playing a good match. You have to give credit to the opposition for not letting India play well. The reality is the opposition teams are too good for us at this point of time."
While India needed a good show against Germany, they must be wary of the Europeans who were handed a shocking defeat by England on Saturday.
If India finish last in their group, they will play the table toppers from Group B.
One of the three teams - an unbeaten Argentina, Australia and the Netherlands - are in line to top the group.
Today's games: New Zealand vs England from 2 pm, Australia vs Argentina from 4pm, Belgium vs Netherlands from 6 pm, India vs Germany from 8pm Live on Ten Sports
The Times of India
Lacklustre India face uphill battle against Germany
NEW DELHI: Spanked in their opening two games by their opponents, a lacklustre India face an uphill task to get their campaign back on track at the Hero Hockey World League Finals as they take on Olympic champions Germany in their last pool match on Monday.
India would be hoping for a much-improved performance against the mighty Germans at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, especially after their shoddy performances against England and New Zealand.
But for that to happen, the Indians will have to lift their games by leaps and bounds, which is looking pretty bleak in the present circumstances.
India looked rusty and completely off-colour in their opening two Pool A matches against England (0-2) and New Zealand (0-3).
The hosts cut a sorry figure in all departments of the game in the two matches they played in the tournament so far.
There was no co-ordination between the Sardar Singh-led midfield and the young forwardline. If that was not enough, the defence, India's perennial problem, continued to commit silly mistakes when put under pressure.
The eight-time Olympic champions erred in their basic skills -- trapping and passing the ball -- in the first two matches.
With the presence of three drag-flick exponents in the side in the form VR Raghunath, Rupinderpal Singh and Amit Rohitdas, India were regarded as a formidable force in penalty corner conversions but they failed to convert a single one in the last two games in spite of earning a handful of set pieces.
India's performances in the first two games had been a cause of worry for its chief coach Terry Walsh, who is guiding the side for the first time in an international event after taking charge of the team only in last November.
In fact, Walsh was livid with his wards' performance against New Zealand, terming it "sub-standard" and "unacceptable".
"Our performance was sub-standard and unacceptable. We play well in training but when it comes to performing under pressure we falter," Walsh had said after New Zealand game.
"We are making a lot of errors in executing our basic skills. We were horrible with our penalty corner conversions. It is very frustrating to see the team missing scoring opportunities," he said.
The format of the tournament might have assured all participating teams a place in the quarterfinals, but the results of the pool stages holds great significance for a team like India, who are hoping to reclaim their past glory in world hockey.
Even if they lose Monday's game against world number one team Germany, India will qualify for the quarterfinals as the results of the pool stages will only determine who will play whom in the knock-out phase.
But come on Monday, Walsh would be hoping for a turnaround from his wards in terms of performance to justify the potential of the team. If not a win, India would be eyeing at least a draw against Germany, but considering the level of both the sides and current rankings, it seems unlikely.
If India finishes at the bottom of Pool A, they will play the top team of Pool B in the quarterfinals.
Germany, on the other hand, would be desperate to live upto their reputation and return to winning ways, especially after the shocking 1-2 loss at the hands of England on Saturday.
Looking at India's showing so far in the eight-nation event, the Germans, who thrashed New Zealand 6-1 in their tournament opener, would undoubtedly fancy their chances on Monday.
But somewhere down the line, the Germans would be little cautious going into Monday's game as they won't like to see a repeat of what happened against England.
Germany's coach Markus Weise had already made his intentions clear that they would play for a win against India.
"We are disappointed with our performance (against England) but we are hoping for a good show in the next game. Our next game is with India and we will play to win," he had said.
The Times of India
Belgium look to prove a point against Netherlands
NEW DELHI: Belgium will look to proving a point against the Netherlands in their final Pool B clash of the Hockey World League Final on Monday.
Belgium lost their first two matches of the tournament to reigning World Champions Australia and Argentina with identical 2-3 scorelines at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The team was seen practising rigorously Sunday, utilising the rest day to polish their skills.
"The first two matches against Australia and Argentina did not go well. Argentina played a strong game and showcased excellent skills. In the upcoming match against the Netherlands, we want to play a good game and build up the team's self confidence for the quarterfinals," Belgian coach Marc Lammers said.
Talking about their knockout, captain John Dohmen said: "We are still in the tournament and are working to fight it out. The match against Netherlands will be an interesting one. Though they are a strong team, we are trying our best to put forward a good show and give them tough competition. Our strategy will be to focus more on passing."
The Times of India
Black Sticks face big challenge against England tonight
By David Leggat
New Zealand know they'll need to take another step up when they play their final pool A match against England at the world league finals in New Delhi tonight.
Having been trounced 6-1 by world No1 Germany in their opening game, the Black Sticks bounced back with an encouraging 3-1 win over India yesterday.
However fourth-ranked England - three spots higher than New Zealand - set the group on its head by beating the Germans 2-1 yesterday.
New Zealand are sure to have an eye on developments in pool B, where 11th-ranked Argentina have had a storming campaign. They have beaten world No3 the Netherlands 5-2 and fifth-ranked Belgium 3-2.
The effect of that is that New Zealand are likely to face either the Dutch or world No2 Australia in their quarter-final. That is a game the Black Sticks must win if they are to finish inside the top four.
However, that's for Wednesday. England will present a tough assignment, as coach Colin Batch admitted.
"England are a good side and we're going to have to raise our game further," he said.
Shea McAleese put New Zealand ahead inside the first two minutes yesterday before Capital attacker Stephen Jenness scored twice - one a deft flick off a Phil Burrows drive into the circle, the other a neat solo effort.
New Zealand hit the woodwork in the first half and striker Hugo Inglis missed an open chance so more work is needed on the sharp-shooting.
"[Germany] was tough, and we had to come out and get the points [against India]," man of the match Jenness said.
"We didn't have much ball against Germany so that was a focus for us and we did well in that area."
Jenness put the win down to a strong team effort and players providing quality support for each other.
"We held on to the ball well and took our chances when we could. It was a great team effort and the result comes down to the work the boys put into supporting each other."
The New Zealand Herald
Men's Black Sticks take on almost unknown enemy
Charlie Bristow
The men's Black Sticks take on an almost unknown enemy tonight in England at the Hockey World League.
The two sides haven't met in almost a year.
Coach Colin Batch says their opponents have totally rebuilt since they last played, leaving them in the unknown.
"We're learning more about them, of course at every tournament you see them live and you pick up more scouting information.
"They've got some speed in their game, we'll have to overcome that, ands they're quite skilful in the midfield."
Play starts at 9:30pm.
Yahoo Sport New Zealand
Victories have boosted England's confidence
NEW DELHI: Victories against India and Germany have boosted the confidence levels and brought in a positive mindset for the England team ahead of their final Pool A clash of the Hockey World League Final against New Zealand on Monday.
"The practice session was really good and it is helping the injured players to recover. The last matches we played against India and Germany were satisfactory and the win has raised the team's confidence level," England head Coach Bobby Crutchley said after a practice session at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
"However, we are working for the quarterfinals and trying to develop tactically so that we keep on with the good work. We will be using the rest day to practice for the upcoming matches so that we can play even better in future."
Sunday is a rest day for all the eight participating teams with action resuming Monday.
Iain Lewers, who will be playing for the Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL) said: "We were all relaxed during the practice session. Winning the matches against India and Germany has been a big achievement. Now our focus is on the other important matches and we are working for it. We need to keep the good work on for the quarterfinals."
The Times of India
I am here to win gold with Police, says Esikuri
By ELIZABETH MBURUGU in Kampala
Kenya Police’s Francis Esikuri (right) goes past Nigeria Union Bank’s Dare Adekele during their first match in the African Cup Club Championships in Lugongo, Kampala. [PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE/STANDARD]
Kenya Police and national team midfielder Francis Esikuri says his mission in Uganda is to win gold.
He was speaking after their 2-0 victory against Union Bank of Nigeria in the ongoing Africa Hockey Club Championships at Lugogo Hockey National Stadium in Kampala,Uganda.
“My mission here is to win gold and take the continental trophy home,” he said.
Esikuri came close to winning gold in the 2011 edition of the continental championships but settled for silver after going down 2-4 to Sharkia of Egypt with Strathmore University.
He says the team is well prepared and ready for the tough task ahead of them.
“We are ready, we have trained well, I have confidence in the team because we embrace teamwork,” he added.
He also said his team has high chances of lifting the coveted trophy after having watched his opponents play.
“I have watched other clubs play and they don’t pose a threat to our title ambitions,” he said.
“Defending champions Sharkia and Egypt Police have not played and we are waiting to see them play,” he added.
Esikuri was in the team that lost 3-2 in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations, a match they admitted they should not have lost.
However, he now says they have learnt the Egyptians’ tricks and are ready to turn tables.
“Most of these players were in the Africa Cup of Nations and we now know how they play, we will not allow them to score last minute goals and snatch our victory,” he said.
Looking forward to their next game against Egypt Police he said it will be a tough match and they will fight tooth and nail to win.
“It will be a tough match but we have to win, we came to win and take the trophy home. We will settle for nothing less than victory.”
Kenya Police are in group ‘B’ together with Trustees of Ghana, Egypt Police, Union Bank of Nigeria and hosts Kampala Club. The Kenyans play their next match tomorrow at 5pm against Egypt.
The Standard Online
Dar Hockey Team Face Heartland
By Mbonile Burton
TANZANIA hockey club Twende kick off their campaign at the 26th Africa Hockey Club Championship against Heartland Flickers of Nigeria in the women's opening match at Lugogo grounds in Kampala, Uganda on Saturday.
The Tanzania ladies team that is making its maiden appearance in the tournament is scheduled to play the opening game in the morning, while tough El Sharkayya of Egypt pulled out of the event at the eleventh hour.
The ladies' clubs will play in one pool of seven teams, where the top two will make it to the final while the men have been pooled into two groups of five teams each.
The top two per group will make it to the semi-finals. Other ladies teams competing for glory are Orange (Kenya) and Weatherhead (Uganda) who will face each other in the second match in the evening. Others are Kampala Club (Uganda), Strathmore (Kenya) and Ghana Revenue Authority.
Twende arrived in Kampala and are reportedly in great shape ready for the tough competition. Twende are under the tutelage of national team coach, Italian Valentina Quaranta and will have to work hard to beat other tournament giants.
Assistant coach Mnonda Magani is brimming with confidence that his team will live up to the challenge. He said that Twende, which is formed by the national team members who played their maiden Africa Hockey Cup of Nations, last year in Nairobi, Kenya gained the much needed experience and was looking forward to a good competition.
Uganda is playing host to the Africa Hockey Federation organised event for the first time. The tournament will run for one week.
Men's teams for the top honour include defending champions El Sharkayya of Egypt, Kenya Police (Kenya) and Union Bank (Nigeria) who will face each other in the men's opening match on Saturday.
Others are Trustees and Golden Sticks (Ghana), Union Bank Sports Club (Nigeria), Sikh Union (Kenya), Kampala and Wananchi (Uganda). Uganda won the right as hosts earlier this month after Ghana's bid was dismissed because of their outstanding debt with the Federation of International Hockey.
All Africa
RCF defeat Western Railway, to clash with Northern Railway
MUMBAI: Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, dethroned Western Railway by an authoritative 3-0 margin to enter the final of the 35th All India Inter Railway Women's Hockey Tournament at the Mahindra Stadium on Sunday.
The holders dominated the play in the first half but conceded in a goal on the stroke of half time which turned the tide in favour of RCF.
RCF will take on Northern Railway in the title round after the latter beat hosts Central Railway 2-0 in a well-contested game.
RCF went ahead through a fine goal by Amandeep Kaur. The sturdy Punjabi girl finished a fine move from the right by Anuradha Thokchom.
The winners had a good opportunity when they got a penalty stroke early in the second half after Anuradha's stick was checked by a defender as she was about to score. The stroke was saved by Sanarika Chanu to her left as Monika came up with a weak grounder.
Despite this hiccup RCF kept on attacking and were rewarded with a goal in the 50th minute of play as Deepika Thakur got hold of a cross from Anuradha to beat rival custodian Sanarika and scored with a reverse hit.
Vartika rounded off the tally with a minute left by scooping beautifully over an advancing Sanarika.
Central who had a few current internationals in their ranks, dominated the first half. However, they were kept at bay by Northern custodian Rajani who once made a diving save to her right from a fine penalty corner by Ranjita.
The second half proved to be Central's undoing as they conceded an own goal. Ritu Rani who went down the middle tried to pass but fortunately for her the ball struck a defender's stick and crossed the line. Central's goalkeeper E Rajani was wrong footed on that occasion.
Unable to convert three penalty corners there after Central got demoralised. Usha Singh's 59th minute goal snuffed the fight out of Central who now contest for the third place on the morrow with their city mates Western Railway.
The Times of India
Mother of all blunders
The Milo Junior Hockey League has been going on for the last 18 years and one would expect some sort of professionalism in running the event.
But the first week of matches revealed one thing that stood out like a sore thumb, that people do not learn from mistakes but rather familiarity breeds contempt and in the process blunders were aplenty.
It started of with the title sponsors MILO being unable to display their advertising boards at the Pantai Hockey Stadium. A letter was dispatched to City Hall for approval on January 2 but no reply was forthcoming. And that was not helped by the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association's not co-operating stance.
The electronic scoreboard was in perfect working condition but only used for one match out of the three played at that stadium.
It got worse on Sunday when the sprinklers were switched on while the match between KLSS and Permatang Juniors was in progress.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation should either overcome this issues by this weekend failing which move all matches scheduled there to the National Hockey stadium.
But the mother of all blunders will surely have to be having A.Kannagi, who is a teacher at KLSS to umpire the match between KLSS and Permatang Juniors. In the team list provided by MHC, Kannagi was listed as the Assistant Coach of KLSS.
When asked how such a situation arose, MHC umpires Board Secretary Ravinderpal Singh stated that no one had informed him of Kannagi's employment status.
"The onus is on her to declare her association with the team as we do not keep tabs on such matters. It was unethical on her part as she could have informed us about it when the appointment list was sent out," said Ravinderpal.
But the question was as to how Kannagi is being allowed to umpire and yet be a team official.
"I received a latter removing her name as a coach on Friday," was all MHC Competitions Executive Hashim Mohd Yusof was willing to offer as an explanation.
It is indeed baffling that changes can be made to team list when it was clearly stated that the registration closed on December 28.
That is not the only issues as teams have exploited MHC's stance of close one eye by registering coaches as physio's in their team lists. This mis-representation is a serious offence and should be stopped right away.
The bright spot was allowing women umpires take charge of matches in the Division Two of the MJHL and it was indeed refreshing to see the like of Annie Thomas displaying good match temperament and implementing rules well thus allowing the game to flow smoothly.
Annie who started her umpiring career while studying at USM has a bright future and should be considered for some matches in the top Division having seen her put her male counterparts to the shadows by handling well the Olak-PKT v KLSS match last Friday.
While the off the pitch incidents put a dent in the opening weekend, the teams have shown that they are eager to do well on the pitch with Olak and Nur Insafi showing good promise on the opening weekend.
MJHL site
PJCC off to a winning start
Petaling Jaya City Council were made to struggle by Anderson MBI before registering a narrow 1-0 win in the Division One of the Milo Junior Hockey League.
PJCC who were league runners up last season were a pale shadow of the team that captivated the hearts of the fans last year with their gusty performance.
Anderson though deserve credit as they showed more resilience, despite playing their second match in 24 hours, having held Malacca High School to a 1-1 draw in Malacca yesterday.
"It was a poor performance but what matters is the three points. It was our first match and we are a bit rusty. Still we ought to have done better," said PJCC coach Azlan Saufi Ahmad Sufian.
"We dominated much of the match and could not put away the chances. And we were fortunate towards the end as Anderson finished stronger."
PJCC scored in the 19th minute through a well worked field goal in which Abdul Halim Jalil got the final touch.
Mohd Helmi Jaafar converted a penalty stroke in the 58th minute to give PJCC a 2-0 lead.
Anderson forced three penalty corners late in the game but could not make much headway.
They managed to reduce the deficit Syamsul Azraf Shahnun Zubir three minutes from time but ran out of time to net the equaliser.
The battle in the Second Division of the MILO Junior Hockey League heated up as teams started to stamp their mark.
With Olak-PKT having won two consecutive matches, Nur Insafi followed suit winning 4-1 against PH Kota Star to top Group A of the Second Division.
At the Pantai Stadium, KL Sports School recovered from their opening 6-0 defeat at the hands of Olak to defeat Permatang Juniors 5-1.
KLSS scored first in the 12 th minute through Muhd Azreen Mustama but Permatang drew level at the stroke of halftime via Mirza Aizat Mohd Yusof.
However KLSS turned on the heat in the second half with Nur Najibullah Ramlee ( 43 rd minute), Fadhzil Ashraf Zakaria ( 46 th minute ), Alif Haikal Norizan ( 57 th minute) and Khuzairi Aiman Zuhairy ( 67 th minute) finding the mark for a final score of 5-1.
In Group 2A of the second division, Nur Insafi registered their second successive win when they defeated PH Kota Star 4-1 at Sungai Petani.
Nur Insafi opened scoring in the eight minute via Nur Rahul Hrsikesa and doubled the advantage two minutes later through Aidil Zafri Mohd Zahir.
Nur Rahul added another two goals in the 21 st and 42 nd minutes to give Nur Insafi a commanding 4-0 lead.
PHKS reduced the deficit in the 64 th minute via Muhd Syazani Mohd Shauqi.
Results
Division One
Petaling Jaya CC.2 Anderson 1
Division 2A
Matri Perlis 3 STAR Ipoh 0
Nur Insafi 4 PH Kota Star 1
Division 2B
KLSS Juniors 5 Permatang Juniors 1
Akademi Pahang 1 MSP Pahang Juniors 1
Division 2C
Politeknik KPM 9 SM Sains Johor 0
MJHL site
Nur Insafi and OLAK early leaders
The battle in the Second Division of the MILO Junior Hockey League heated up as teams started to stamp their mark.
With Olak-PKT having won two consecutive matches, Nur Insafi followed suit winning 4-1 against PH Kota Star to top Group A of the Second Division.
At the Pantai Stadium, KL Sports School recovered from their opening 6-0 defeat at the hands of Olak to defeat Permatang Juniors 5-1.
KLSS scored first in the 12 th minute through Muhd Azreen Mustama but Permatang drew level at the stroke of halftime via Mirza Aizat Mohd Yusof.
However KLSS turned on the heat in the second half with Nur Najibullah Ramlee ( 43 rd minute), Fadhzil Ashraf Zakaria ( 46 th minute ), Alif Haikal Norizan ( 57 th minute) and Khuzairi Aiman Zuhairy ( 67 th minute) finding the mark for a final score of 5-1.
In Group 2A of the second division, Nur Insafi registered their second successive win when they defeated PH Kota Star 4-1 at Sungai Petani.
Nur Insafi opened scoring in the eight minute via Nur Rahul Hrsikesa and doubled the advantage two minutes later through Aidil Zafri Mohd Zahir.
Nur Rahul added another two goals in the 21 st and 42 nd minutes to give Nur Insafi a commanding 4-0 lead.
PHKS reduced the deficit in the 64 th minute via Muhd Syazani Mohd Shauqi.
Results
Division One
Petaling Jaya CC. Anderson - match started at 7pm
Division 2A
Matri Perlis 3 STAR Ipoh 0
Nur Insafi 4 PH Kota Star 1
Division 2B
KLSS Juniors 5 Permatang Juniors 1
Akademi Pahang 1 MSP Pahang Juniors 1
Division 2C
Politeknik KPM 9 SM Sains Johor 0
MJHL site
Rusty MBPJ edge Anderson for first win
KLSS Juniors player Mohd Syahir Shah Busnaning (right) dribbles past Permatang Juniors player Mohd Fitri Afzan Mohd Zaba in their MJHL Division Two match at the KL Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
KUALA LUMPUR: Last season’s runners-up Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) played badly but still bagged all three points to get their Division One challenge in the MHC-Milo-NSC Malaysia Junior Hockey League off to a winning start.
Although woeful with their finishing, MBPJ managed to edge Anderson-Perak SEDC 2-1 at the Education Ministry Pitch in Jalan Pantai on Sunday.
Anderson, however, deserve credit for showing more resilience, despite playing their second match in 24 hours. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Malacca High School on Saturday.
MBPJ opened the scoring in the 19th minute through a well-worked field goal, with Abdul Halim Jalil finishing off the move. Mohd Helmi Jaafar then converted a penalty stroke in the 58th minute to give the MBPJ a 2-0 lead.
Anderson reduced the deficit through Syamsul Azraf Shahnun Zubir in the 67th minute with a field attempt but it was too late to spark a comeback.
MBPJ coach coach Azlan Saufi Ahmad Sufian was happy to collect full points despite their poor display.
“It was a poor performance ... but what matters are the three points. It was our first match and we were a bit rusty,” he said.
“We were also lucky as Anderson finished the game stronger.”
Anderson coach Mohamed Nizam, meanwhile, said that it was back to the drawing board for them.
“It was generally a poor performance although we wanted to win badly,” he said.
“We started slowly and paid the price. Our next two matches are at home and we need to get back to winning ways.”
In Division Two, Nur Insafi took charge of Group A after beating PH Kota Star 4-1 at the Sungai Petani Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
It was Nur Insafi’s second win in the group and puts them at the top of the standings with six points.
Nur Rahul Hrsikesa bagged a hat-trick (8th, 21st, 42nd) while Aidil Zafri Mohd Zahid (10th) got the other for Nur Insafi.
Mohd Syazani Mohd Shauqi scored the Kota Star team’s consolation goal in the 64th minute.
In a Division Two Group B match at the KL Hockey Stadium, KL Sports School Juniors-MSSWP bounced back from an opening day mauling by Olak to thrash Permatang Juniors 5-1.
KLSS Juniors, who lost 6-0 on Friday, opened accounts through Mohd Azreen Mustama. Permatang Juniors hit back at the stroke of half-time through Mirza Aizat Mohd Yusof.
The KL side then turned on the power in the second half to net four goals through Nur Najibullah Ramlee (43rd), Fadhzil Ashraf Zakaria (46th), Alif Haikal Norizan (57th) and Khuzairi Aiman Zuhairy (67th).
The Star of Malaysia
