Impressive TNB climb to third

Kuala Lumpur (22 January, 2017): Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) exerted their dominance over Premier Division debutants, UITM-KPT as they came out 4-0 victors in their TNBMHL 2017 match at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium.

TNB dominated their match against the visitors, however, they were wasteful in front of goal especially in the first half when they saw both their penalty corners saved by UITM’s goalkeeper, Mohamad Adi Fazri Ab Rahim.

UITM-KPT held out to a goalless first half and when the second half resumed, Mohamad Adi Fazri was again the hero as he produced two fine saves to deny TNB the lead through two more penalty corners.

However, he and his defense were unable to prevent TNB from breaking the deadlock when Muhd Ramadan Rosli finally converted TNB’s fifth penalty corner in the 34^th minute.

Another penalty corner three minutes later saw Muhd Firdaus Omar adding a second for the hosts just before Muhd Ramadan scored his second of the night through a field goal in the 41^st minute.

TNB piled more misery on UITM-KPT when Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi got on the scoresheet after scoring through a field goal in the 58^th minute.

Coach Muhamad Amin Rahim was satisfied with the three important points bagged in their win today, however, he believed his team could have performed better against a young and inexperienced UITM-KPT side.

“We will try to improve our performance especially in our next match against top-of-the-table KLHC. We will also welcome a possible return of Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan and Muhammad Hafiizhuddin Zaidi from injury as we are currently waiting for medical clearance before fielding them in the next match,” said the former national player.

He added, that TNB will put up a good fight when coming up against tougher opponents such as, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT).

TNB now occupy third place with 12 points from five matches this season.

The earlier match at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium saw UniKL’s winning streak come to an end when they were defeated 2-0 by KLHC.

UniKL had a bright start to the match with a series of chances going wide of the opposition’s goal including fluffing a penalty corner which was hit directly at a KLHC defender.

In the second quarter, Lachlan Gerald Stock almost put UniKL in front only to witness his well-taken shot coming of the foot of the post.

KLHC, on the other hand, saw their 1^st penalty corner of the match saved by UniKL’s Argentina international goalkeeper, Tomas Matias Santiago as both teams head into the break after a goalless first half.

However, just 4 minutes into the second half, Muhammad Noor Faeez Ibrahim broke the deadlock when he converted a penalty corner to give KLHC a 1-0 lead.

It did not take long for the hosts to add a second in the 43^rd minute through national player, Muhammad Haziq Samsul’s brilliant solo run. 

UniKL came close to reducing the deficit to a single goal just before the match ended when Pakistan international, Muhammad Aleem Bilal’s shot from a penalty corner flew wide of the goal.

Today’s win for KLHC sees them leapfrog UniKL into second place who drop to fourth in the league standings.

THT climb to top spot after defeating Maybank 3-0 at the MBMB Hockey Stadium. The in-form Jang Jonghyun opened the scoring as early in the 6^th minute when he converted a penalty corner before Faizal Saari gave his team a 2-0 lead just before the end of first-half through a well taken field goal.

Muhd Firhan Ashaari put the match beyond reach when he added the third of the night through another field goal in the 42^nd minute.

Meanwhile at the SSTMI Hockey Stadium, TNB-Thunderbolts registered their first win of the season when they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Tunku Ismail Sports School (SSTMI).

It took only five minutes for TNB-Thunderbolts to decide the outcome of the match when Muhd. Arai Aizad Abu Kamal scored a brace in the 1^st and the 5^th minute on either side of Mohd. Akhimullah Anuar Esook’s field goal in the second minute.

TNBMHL 2017 PREMIER LEAGUE (22 January 2017):

KLHC 2 – 0 UniKL

Maybank 0 – 3 KLHC

TNB-Thunderbolts 3 – 0 SSTMI

Tenaga Nasional Berhad 4 – 0 UITM - KPT

‘24 Carat Magic in the Air’

Kuala Lumpur (17 February, 2017): Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) will decide for the 2017 TNBMHL Premier League title at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium on Sunday.

Three-time champions THT defeated Maybank 5-2 at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu today whilst KLHC edged Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 3-1 at the KLHA Stadium. Both teams share 33-equal points after 12 matches and go head to head into Sunday last fixture of the Premier League.

Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin set the platform in THT’s win with a 10^th minute penalty corner goal before Korean Jang Jonghyun made it 3-0 in the 12^th and 17^th minutes via penalty corners and Muhammad Firhan Ashaari added the fourth a minute into the third quarter from open play.

Maybank, who are placed in fifth position in the eight-team league, reduced the deficit with goals from Jang Soon Chan (32^nd) and Jeremy Edwards (47^th) but THT, who are eyeing a fourth consecutive Premier League title since 2014, made it 5-2 through Ameer Aiman Mohammad Saberi with four minutes remaining on the clock.

“My players know how crucial Sunday’s game is going to be against THT in our chase for the title. We are almost there and knowing that THT have a 21-goal advantage over us so the only way to the title is to win three points,” said KLHC coach Muhammad Harun Alrashid Samri.

As for UniKL, they need to beat Tenaga Nasional Berhad on Sunday to take third spot in the league. TNB moved up to third spot on 25 points – two ahead of UniKL following a 10-0 thrashing of Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School at the KLHA Stadium.

“It boils down to our last match against TNB irrespective of the result today,” said UniKL coach A. Arul Selvaraj. “The boys tried hard but lapses in concentration caused us dear and we were punished. We need to cut down on silly mistakes and not give away possession too easily.”

Both teams were awarded penalty corners in the first half but could not make good use of it. Pakistani Muhammad Umar Bhutta put KLHC ahead in the 14^th minute when he was the first to the ball after a run from the right by Razie Rahim, giving goalkeeper Khairul Nizam Ibrahim no chance with a hefty shot.

KLHA almost doubled their advantage in the 18^th minute but the attempt of the third penalty corner was saved on the line by Zul Pidaus Mizun.

UniKL were on level terms against the run of play in the 28^th minute as Faridzul Afiq Mohd sneaked behind the defence to deflect the ball past goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin.

But seconds later KLHC took the lead when Najmi Farizal Jazlan lost the ball and a quick counter saw attack saw Casey Hammod Dawson having a simple task of scoring after Khairul's rebound fell in front of him. Anton Poul Fritz Ebeling weaved past a static defence to put the ball past substitute keeper Thomas Santiago to give KLHC a 3-1 lead in the 50th minute.

As for TNB, the big-margin win celebration will be put on hold until Sunday’s last and crucial league match against UniKL which will determine which of the two teams will finish third.

Norsyafiq Sumantri scored a hat-trick for TNB (13^th, 36^th and 52^nd minutes) PC) and Muhammad Shahril Saabah netted a double (6^th, PC and 51^st PC) whilst Mohamad Zulhamizan Awang Abas (11^th, FG), Muhammad Firdaus Omar (27^th, FG), Syed Mohamad Shafiq Syed Cholan (32^nd, PC), Nik Muhammad Aiman Nik Rozemi (38^th, PC) and Muhamad Aminudin Mohd Zain scored a piece.

For SSTMI, it was the second time in the league that the Bandar Penawar-based

sports school suffered a big defeat. They were also beaten 10-0 by THT three weeks ago.

FIH confirms Malaysia’s move to Dhaka

Kuala Lumpur (7 February, 2017): The International Hockey Federation (FIH) have drafted Malaysia alongside hosts Bangladesh in Pool A of the Hockey World League Round-2 which is scheduled to get underway from March 4 at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium.

Malaysia, placed 13th in world rankings and third in Asia, came as the replacement for Canada who has recently pulled out of the competition citing security concerns.

Stephen van Huizen’s Malaysia’s Tigers, who are the highest ranked team in Dhaka now, were earlier scheduled to compete in the Hockey World League Round 2 in Trinidad and Tobago from March 25 to April 2. However, with this latest development the Malaysians will now gear up for the challenges in Dhaka after the conclusion of the ongoing TNBMHL Premier League.

The other teams in Group A are Oman (WR: 31) and Fiji (WR: 67). The Bangladeshis are placed 32 in the FIH Hero World Rankings and won the Asian Hockey Federation Cup for the third consecutive time last year.

Teams placed in Pool B are China (WR: 18), Egypt (WR: 20), Sri Lanka (WR: 42) and Ghana (WR: 43). The top two teams in Dhaka qualify for the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in London from 15-27 June, 2017 - a qualifying event for the 2018 World Cup.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) Chief Executive Officer, K. Logan Raj, said MHC has received an offer from FIH to play in Dhaka HWLR2 instead of Trinidad & Tobago.

“Upon consultation with the respective bodies which include the coaches, Technical Director, Coaching Chairman and members of the Executive Board, and taking into consideration various matters that generally contribute to our decision-making process, MHC would like to officially inform that the national team will be heading to Dhaka to participate in the Men’s Hockey World League Round 2.”

The Dhaka phase will have its curtain lifted through a fixture between China and Ghana while Malaysia is set to play the fourth and final match of the opening day on March 4 against the host followed by matches against Oman (March 5) and Fiji on March 7.

All quarterfinals matches are scheduled on March 9 followed by the semi-finals on March 11 and final on March 12.

The MHC had on Monday called for a meeting with coaches and managers of the eight Premier League teams requesting the release of national players on Monday and Tuesday to join national team training in the midst of the league. The team officials were briefed by Logan, MHC Technical Director Terry Walsh and senior team head coach Stephen van Huizen.

“It was a very amicable meeting and the team managers concurred with our request,” said Logan. “National team players involved in the Premier League will attend training on these two days before returning to play for their respective clubs in the league in the same week.”

Malaysia Tigress goes down against Irish in final

Kuala Lumpur (22 January, 2017): Ireland defeated Malaysia 3-0 in the final of the Women Hockey World League Round 2 at the Tun Razak Stadium today.

Malaysia’s plans of turning the tables around on the Green Army, who won 2-1 in a Pool B match last week, were halted by their own inability to score from a penalty stroke in the first quarter and also take advantage of several penalty corners and open chances that came in the game.

But more importantly the Malaysians, alongside the Irish, booked a spot in the Women Hockey World League Semi-Finals which will be held in Belgium (June 21-July 2) and South Africa (July 8-23). 

Speaking after the defeat, Malaysia’s head coach, K. Dharmaraj, said: “These girls

have shown they have the potential to play against higher ranked teams in the world. They can go far and our second phase of journey to the World League Semi-Finals starts tonight.”

He added: “Today’s final was a good match. We just missed a lot of chances but the girls have had a real tough match against Italy which went into shootout and were tired. I am not saying this just because we lost. Ireland is a very strong team and it was never going to be easy playing against teams ranked higher than us but we did give them a tough fight.”

The world ranked 16 Irish side were presented with another round of anxiety by the 21-ranked Malaysia’s Tigress but it was the Irish who broke the deadlock in the seventh minute when an unmarked Anna O’Flanagan latched on a cross from Chloe Watkins in front of the goalmouth to put the ball past goalkeeper Farah Ayuni Yahya for her 12^th goal in the tournament.

However, in a counter attack, the Malaysians were presented a penalty stroke two minutes later but Noraini Rashid shot wide.

The Irish pressed further as Kathryn Mullan and Zue Wilson eventually found their way through in the Malaysian defence, scoring goals from field goal (10^th) and penalty corner (34^th) respectively.

Though the Irish dominated much of play in the second half and there was no progress from the Malaysians who missed out on several opportunities, Ireland went on to emerge champions. As for Malaysia’s Tigress, the World League Round 2 provided a huge boost to their campaign in the Semi-Finals stage of the World League in June.

Italy defeated Wales 3-1 to finish third in the Kuala Lumpur edition of the Women Hockey World League Round 2. Forward Valentina Braconi scored a double (33^rd and 54^th minutes) from penalty corners after Celina Traverso gave the Italians a 25^th minute lead via field goal and Sian French reduced the deficit for Wales in the 35^th minute.

The Italians, who are ranked 15 in the world, suffered a shock 2-1 defeat in a sudden-death shootout against the Malaysians following a 2-2 draw in regulation time, still have an outside chance of qualifying for the World League Semi-finals which will be held in Belgium (June 21-July 2) and South Africa (July 8-23). 

This, however, depends on final rankings after the conclusion of two more editions of the World League Round 2 in Valencia, Spain (Feb 4-12) and Vancouver, Canada (March 25-April 2, 2017).

Thailand, placed 31 in the FIH Hero World Rankings, ended its foray here with a fifth-place finish following a 3-1 penalty shootout victory against World No 43 Singapore after a scoreless game in regulation time.

The Thais defeated the Singaporeans 4-0 in a Pool A match last week but were hard pressed to keep a transformed Singaporean side at bay today. Supansa Samanso, Praphatson Khuiklang and Anongnat Piresram scored for Thailand whilst only Ong Yang Ting was successful for Singapore.

Kazakhstan, ranked World No 33, took maximum points against Hong Kong with a 3-2 win to finish seventh here. The Kazaks earned a penalty corner in the second minute and Symbat Sabazova converted to give Kazakhstan a 1-0 lead before Olga Khonina doubled the lead in the 32^nd minute from open play.

Hong Kong, however, reduced the deficit with a field goal through Chang Ching Nam in the 40^th minute but Gulim Idirissova shot Kazakhstan 3-1 ahead nine minutes later. Tiffany Chan scored for Hong Kong from a penalty corner in the last few seconds of play.

Malaysia qualify for World League Semi-finals

Kuala Lumpur (21 January, 2017): Malaysia scored a sensational 2-1 win over World No 15 Italy in sudden-death penalty shootout and in the process joined Ireland in qualifying for the World League Semi-Finals.

K. Dharmaraj’s Tigress had earlier made a grand comeback from a goal down in this Women Hockey World League Round 2 semi-finals encounter to hold the Italians to a 2-2 draw in regulation time while Ireland downed Wales 2-0 in an earlier semi-final tie at the Tun Razak Stadium.

But more importantly the Malaysians, alongside the Irish, booked a spot in the Women Hockey World League Semi-Finals which will be held in Belgium (June 21-July 2) and South Africa (July 8-23).

The Malaysian women have never qualified for the World Cup and the World League Round 2 is Dharmaraj’s first major assignment as head coach since taking over the position in January 2016.

Ireland’s Green Army and Malaysia’s Tigress will meet in the final of the Women Hockey World League Round 2 tomorrow (22 January) while the Italians and Wales will battle for third placing.

The World League Semi-finals is a qualification platform for the 2018 World Cup which will be held at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

It was a night to remember for more than 2,000 fans who watched the Tigress, ranked World No 21, produced their best against a world class opposition.

Dharmaraj’s Tigress have been beefed up with the return of midfielder Raja Norsharina Raja Shabuddin, who did not play in the last two matches due to an ankle injury suffered against Ireland on Monday, to  face the Italians.

Midfielder Maria Garraffo fired the Italians ahead in the 10^th minute from a field goal but this was quickly cancelled by Fazilla Sylvester Silin three minutes later from a penalty corner.

The Italians, undaunted by the equaliser, continued with a barrage of counter attacks at the start of the second quarter and rewarded with a penalty corner  in the 18^th minute. Agata Wybieralska made no mistake to give the Italians a 2-1 advantage but once again, Malaysia’s Tigress produced a great fight back with a Hanis Nadiah Onn field goal four minutes before the end of the first half.

The second half saw the Malaysians and Italians having a fair share of ball possession and goal opportunities with no results, pushing the game into penalty shootout.

Goalkeeper Farah Ayuni Yahya was the toast of the Tigress as she kept the Italians at bay in the first penalty shootout which left both teams tied 1-1. However, Valentina Braconi, Italy’s most trusted player, missed in the first sudden-death shootout but Fatin Shafika Md Shukri kept her nerves in check, stepped up and gave all Malaysians a night to celebrate

Two goals in two minutes ensured Ireland a 2-0 victory over Wales to advance into Sunday’s final of the Women Hockey World League Round 2.

The Irish had a tough task at hand against the Welsh. As the tournament’s second highest ranked team behind the Italians, the Green Army found themselves pegged down by the Welsh in the first quarter.

The chances, however, build with great intensity in the second half and Yvonne O’Brian broke the deadlock in the 27^th minute for Ireland from a penalty corner goal and less than a minute later Anna O’Flanagan doubled the lead with a field goal. It was Anna’s 12^th goal in the tournament so far.

The game suddenly took a different outlook as the Green Army went into the breather with a two-goal lead.

The second half saw both sides creating chances but Ireland held the advantage with possession. Irish goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran made a strong save in the final few minutes of the third quarter to keep the marauding Wales forwards at bay an kept a clean record en route to the final.

The Kuala Lumpur edition of the Women Hockey World League Round 2 is the first of three series in qualifying for the World League Semi-finals which will be held in Belgium (June 21-July 2) and South Africa (July 8-23).

This will be followed by the second and third series of the World League in Valencia, Spain (Feb 4-12) and Vancouver, Canada (March 25-April 2, 2017).

Charity Shield: KLHC prevail in shootout over THT

Kuala Lumpur (13 January, 2017): Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) clinched the TNBMHL 2017 Charity Shield Cup following a 6-5 win in penalty shootout over Terengganu Hockey Team after both teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium in Kuala Terengganu today.

The victory also erased KLHC’s 7-2 defeat against double champions THT in the quarterfinals of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup Knockout Tournament at the Tun Razak Stadium last week.

Muhammad Noor Faez Ibrahim opened scoring for KLHC in the 31^st minute via a penalty corner but Faizal Saari slowed down the city boys’ celebrations with a field goal three minutes later before Pakistan’s Umar Bhutta increased the advantage for KLHC in the 51^st minute.

However, a THT and KLHC match has always seen dramatic endings and this was proven when Korean Jang Jonghyun scored the equaliser in the 56^th minute, forcing the match into a shootout. KLHC eventually prevailed 6-5 to lift the Charity Shield Cup for the fourth consecutive time since 2014.

Prior to the start of the Charity Shield match, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation contributed a token sum of donation to Rumah Kasih Harmoni in Kuala Terengganu.

In Kuala Lumpur, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) turned on the power in the second half to register a 6-1 victory over TNB Thunderbolts whilst Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) pulverised Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) 5-0 at the KLHA Stadium and Maybank fought hard to overcome a gritty Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT (UiTM) 3-2 at the adjacent Ministry of Education Hockey Stadium.

Muhammad Ramadan Rosli started TNB’s goal rush in the eighth minute via a field goal but it was only in the second half that TNB upped the ante against the 2016 Division One champions by scoring five more goals.

Norsyafiq Sumantri added the second in the 36^th minute, Azril Misron netted a brace (37^th and 38^th minutes) and Muhammad Aminudin Mohd Zain fired from a penalty corner in the next minute as TNB grabbed a 5-1 lead before 17-year-old Muhammad Akhimullah Anuar Esook pulled one back for Thunderbolts a minute into the third quarter.

Muhammad Shahril Saabah capped a fine evening for TNB with the sixth goal seconds before the hooter via a penalty corner.

Arul Selvaraj’s UniKL also got off to a winning start with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School, the 2016 Division One League runner-up, at the same venue.

Clinical finishing and good team work were the key ingredients as UniKL warmed up to a difficult task in their second match on Sunday where they will take on TNB.

“It is always good to start a season with a win but it’s a compact league with matches every third day,” said Arul. “Therefore the depth on the bench is vital as we need to give

equal playing time as well as not affect the style of play. We need to work on some grey areas like defending counter attacks and creating penalty corners.”

UniKL’s midfield trio of Rafizul Ezry, Mohamed Toseeq and Marhan Jalil played extremely well. Izwan Firdaus opened scoring for UniKL in the 15^th minute and four minutes later Australian Lachlan Gerald Stock doubled the advantage for UniKL before Izwan made it 3-0 in the 21^st minute.

Lachlan went on to notch his hat-trick with goals in the 47^th and 51^st minutes to round up an impressive start in the MHL.

UiTM surprised Maybank with a ninth minute field goal through Mohammad Norikhwan Nor Rahman but Maybank went ahead 3-1 by the 56^th minute with a brace from Hafifihafiz Hanafi (25^th and 38^th minutes) and Firdaus Fauzi (56^th) before Joshua Pieter Ephraums reduced the deficit two minute late from a field goal.

Results – Premier League: Terengganu Hockey Team 2-2 (KLHC win 6-5 in penalty shootout) Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club; TNB 6 TNB Thunderbolts 1; Universiti Kuala Lumpur 5 Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School 0; Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT 2 Maybank 3.

Premier Fixtures – Sunday (15 January, 2017): Terengganu Hockey Team v Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT (Stadium Hockey Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu, 5.00pm); Universiti Kuala Lumpur  v Tenaga Nasional Berhad (4.00pm); Maybank v Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (Stadium Hoki Bukit Serindit, Malacca, 6.00pm); Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v TNB Thunderbolts (KLHA Stadium,  6.00pm).

Early Irish test for Dharmaraj Tigress

Kuala Lumpur (3 January, 2017): Malaysia Tigress coach K. Dharmaraj believes the battle for supremacy in the Women World League Round 2 will only begin in the quarterfinals stage of the event held from Jan 14-22 at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium.

All the eight teams competing here, said Dharmaraj, will automatically qualify for the Jan 19 quarterfinals upon completion of their respective pool matches and the journey to the Hockey World League Semi-finals will depend on whom the Malaysians face in the last eight of the competition.

“It is very important that we finish top of our group in the preliminary round,” said Dharmaraj. “This will put us in a better position to play the lower rank teams in the quarterfinal and move forward from there,” he said, adding this is the most crucial point in the tournament for all teams.

Malaysia Tigress, ranked at world No 21, will be joined by world No 16 Ireland, Kazakhstan (33) and Hong Kong (37) in Group B whilst Italy, ranked world No 15, Thailand (31), Wales (32) and Singapore (43) are in Pool A.’

“We will be looking to finish in the top two to ensure a ticket to the Semi-finals of the World Cup qualifying round. Given these options, we must aim to go on top of Group B standings, which also means winning three points against Ireland in our pool match on Jan16,” said Dharmaraj.

Dharmaraj’s Tigress, however, will have a first look at the Irish machinery in a friendly match on Jan 9.  The Irish women’s team will finally get back into competitive action after an 18-month wait with the first stage in the World Cup qualifying bid and are scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 4 (Wednesday) in an early preparation for the tournament.

Meanwhile, with a world ranking of 16, Graham Shaw’s side go into the competition as the second highest ranked team, with Italy, who are ranked 15th, the other big gun.

Despite being one of the fancied sides, Shaw says the timing of the competition has made preparation tricky.

“When the tournament is at this time, it’s incredibly difficult for European teams to prepare for it with the difference in time, weather and humidity,” he told The Irish Times.

No other opponents were available for practice matches due to the Christmas break, and so regional camps were organised on Dec 22nd and 23rd as well as on the 29th and 30th.

“We have got seven days in Malaysia to sharpen ourselves up pre-tournament. It’s certainly not ideal. But the girls are quite a self-driven squad. With nutrition and the requirements of being an elite athlete, the girls are well aware of what it takes when it comes to over-indulgence!”

It will be their first world-ranking event for Ireland since July 2015 when they claimed the EuroHockey Champions Trophy, a month after missing out on a ticket to Rio by the thickness of a post.

However, the Irish will be without Emma Gray, Kate Dillon and Emma Smyth who have since retired while Aine Connery has not been training with the squad constantly.

Shaw tried out a large number of new faces in the challenge matches in 2016, notably the Hawkes Bay Cup in New Zealand in April, where they beat Olympic-bound India and Korea. Lena Tice and Zoe Wilson are the new finds in defence who will form the nucleus of the next generation.

“We feel now we are stronger across the board and across different lines. That’s been a real plus. The introduction of those younger players of that quality has been brilliant and we are excited about what they can do in the future.”

Another addition who will make debut in January is Roisin Upton following two NCAA titles with the UConn Huskies. Her inclusion gives Ireland more options in midfield and defence.

She is also a player who can potentially replace team captain Megan Frazer who is currently recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury.

“Losing Megan is incredibly disappointing but players like Zoe, Roisin and Lena are able to do that role for us. Maybe down the road it allows us to use Megan further up the field.”

In Malaysia, there will be further tournament debutants in the form of Rebecca Barry and Clodagh Cassin who will also play against the Italians in another warm-up match on Jan 11.

Fixtures – Jan 14 (Saturday):

Pool A: Italy v Wales (1.45pm); Thailand v Singapore (3.0pm).

Pool B: Ireland v Kazakhstan (6.15pm); Malaysia v Hong Kong (8.30pm). All matches at Tun Razak Hockey Stadium.

                                                                                  

WOMEN HOCKEY WORLD LEAGUE ROUND 2 FIXTURES:

City boys in second round but girls bow out

Defending champions Kuala Lumpur failed to advance into the second round of the girls division in the MHC-1Mas-Milo-KPM National Under-14 Hockey Tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium today.

The city girls went down 1-2 against Malacca in a crucial match and finished at the bottom of the three-team Group A with one point following defeat against Perak (1-0) and drew 1-1 with Kedah,

Perak and Kedah played a scoreless draw to conclude the fixtures Perak, however, lead the table with seven points and Malacca six.

The qualifiers for the second round are Perak and Malacca (Group A); Penang and Pahang (Group B) while Johor and Singapore advanced from Group C.

The six teams have been drawn into Group X and Y for the second round. Penang, Johor and Malacca are in Group X while Pahang, Singapore and Perak in Group Y. The winner of each group after the round-robin league matches qualify for Sunday’s final while second-placed teams in each group play for the bronze medal.

Singapore team manager Nadrah Sadali, said: “After finishing fourth last year, we have set a target of advancing into the second round first and plan our strategy according to each match. Pahang and Perak are strong teams and we will have to work really hard.”

In the boys’ second round which begins tomorrow, defending champions Sabah lead the way with an unbeaten record of four wins in Group A after the preliminary round and have for company Pahang and Melaka while six-time champions Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Johor are in Group Y.

Champions in 2014, Pahang held Penang to a 2-2 draw today but Pahang team manager, Wan Mazlan Wan Isa, said: “It does not matter which group we are in as long as the players give their best in the second round.  

Kuala Lumpur could only manage a 0-0 draw against lowly Perlis in the last preliminary round match.

“We wasted far too many penalty corner opportunities,” said KL coach Mohd Madzli Ikmar. “Perlis surprised us by playing a good match. We will need to buck up our game in the second round as Johor is coming on strong and so is Perak.”

RESULTS

Boys Group A: Selangor 3 Kelantan 2; Kuala Lumpur 0 Perlis 0

Group B: Pahang 2 Penang 2; Sarawak 2 Kedah 0

Group C: Malacca 2 Negeri Sembilan 1; Singapore 0 Terengganu 4

Girls – Group A: Perak 0 Kedah 0; Malacca 2 Kuala Lumpur 1

Fixtures

THURSDAY (24 Nov) - Boys 2^nd Round Group X: Sabah v Malacca (7.15pm, KPM); 

Group Y: Kelantan v Perak (7.15pm, KLHA Stadium).

Classification matches - 7-9^th Placing: Selangor v Negeri Sembilan (4.45, KLHA Stadium)

10-12^th:: Kelantan v Terengganu 4.45pm, KPM)i

13-15^th: Perlis v Singapore (3.30pm, KLHA Stadium)

Girls 2^nd Round Group X: Penang v Johor (6.0pm, KPM)

Group Y: Pahang v Singapore (6.0pm, KLHA Stadium)

Classifications - 7-9^th: Kedah v Kelantan (7.30am, KPM); 10-12^th: Kuala Lumpur v Sarawak (7.30am, KLHA Stadium)