After witnessing some breathtaking moments by
Malaysia Tigers in the QNET 4th Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has fast-tracked
its development programme in grooming the next generation of hockey players.
The Malaysians won bronze for the fourth time
since the inception of the ACT in Ordos, China, in 2011. The ACT2016 team featured
a number of Thunderbolt graduates namely Sharil Saabah, Firhan Ashari and the
Saari brothers - Faizal and Fitri. These players came through the Thunderbolt
Programme and are now regulars in the national senior squad.
The TNB Malaysian Junior Hockey League (TNBMJHL)
has been a booming stage for young hockey talents in displaying their talents and
gaining invaluable experience.
As a preparation for the 2017 TNBMJHL, an
inaugural Thunderbolt Cup will be held comprising of the four Thunderbolt teams
along with four other invited teams.
Participants of the 1st Thunderbolts Cup will
include Sabah Sports School, Terengganu Sports School, the Selangor State team
and the Singapore Juniors; which are all viable sparring teams for the TNB sponsored
teams.
This tournament will basically be a smaller
scaled MJHL as the format and rules will be based on the actual tournament
which the four Thunderbolt teams topped in the last edition.
In conjunction with the 2016 Sultan of Johor
Cup, the first edition of the Thunderbolts Cup will be held at Tunku Mahkota Ismail
Sports School (SSTMI), Johor from the 3rd - 6th November
2016.
The main objective and idea for this four-day
invitational tournament is to serve as early preparation for TNB’s development teams
and identify new talents for upcoming tournaments.
Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) Thunderbolt coach,
Lokman Yahaya, who approves of the Thunderbolts Cup, observed: “We will be
using this inaugural tournament to test out and identify some players for the
upcoming TNBMJHL.
“Since most of our players are busy during
this period of time with school exams, we could not plan extensive preparations
and trainings for this tournament. We will be using this tournament mainly to
regain match fitness as well as trying out some new tactics in bid to defend
our junior title,” added Lokman.
SSTMI’s coach, Wan Roslan Wan Abdul Rahman, also
echoed the approval of the Thunderbolts Cup.
“The Hockey development scene has become a
very competitive market today and we expect the next TNBMJHL to be more
challenging compared to previous editions. A tournament such as the Thunderbolts
Cup is a perfect preparation to identify the needful additions or changes for the
team.
“Our main objective for this tournament is to
continue working with the players we have and continue nurturing them for
bigger challenges in the future. We also look to continue working and learning
with TNB’s Thunderbolt programme towards securing a brighter hockey future for
our country,” he explained.
Teams competing in the inaugural Thunderbolts
Cup will be given additional hockey theory classes, video analysis sessions and
talks regarding modern hockey techniques.
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