Sarawak all geared up Borneo Cup challenge

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The Sarawak team is all set for a strong challenge at the Borneo Cup in Kota Kinabalu this week. At left is Sivasubramaniam C while Nellyana is at right.

KUCHING: The Sarawak team is all geared up for the Borneo Cup women’s hockey championship at Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu from Dec 16-20.

State head coach Sivasubramaniam C has assembled a strong team of current and former national as well as Sukma players for the four-team tournament involving Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan and Brunei.

They include current national player Fazilla Sylvester Silin, former national players Catherine Lambor and Bulan Sauh, with former Sukma players such as Pamela Tia, Jeneter Kadir, Samantha Echa Sigah, Ivana Sonia Beriak and Florance Paul.

Other squad members are from the Sukma 2016 shadow team which includes Wisnika Jurin, Jossie Kay Frankie, Wilina Mac Carina William, Vagressia Apang, Leonney Suzye Roland, Rose Ida Direk, Averi Nathaniellyn Joseph, Josephine Angkun, Suhaila Sata and Olivia William.

The assistant coach is Nellyana Aling.

Sivasubramaniam is hoping that his girls can finish in the top three if not win the championship.

The Borneo Cup is making a comeback after a lapse of 12 years. Sarawak were champions when the tournament was last held in Brunei in 2002.

Although Sarawak had beaten Sabah 3-0 in this year’s Sukma in Perlis, Sivasubramaniam is still wary of the threat from the hosts as they are training under the Sabah Sports School hockey programme.

“Four members of the Sabah squad are playing in the Kuala Lumpur Hockey League and that gives them a competitive edge when compared to no exposure for Sarawak,” said the coach who added that the Perlis Sukma was the only competition that the Sarawak team had played after the 2012 Pahang Sukma.

All that the state team could resort to was playing friendly matches with local sides at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium along Jalan Padungan here.

Sivasubramaniam said the Borneo Cup would serve as an useful exposure for the state shadow team preparing for the 2016 Sukma which Sarawak will host.

“It is unfortunate that six of the shadow team cannot make the squad as they are away on vacation. Otherwise, we can see how the team gel and gauge their strengths and weaknesses,” he told the Borneo Post.

The squad has been training for a week and will leave for Kota Kinabalu today.