Rudy (standing third left) with Warrior Hockey Club members.
MIRI: The Warrior Hockey Club from Miri here attributed their victory in the Sarawak Hockey 9-A-Side Reunion Shield to the sheer hardwork of its team, but its concrete ambitions are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The club which emerged champions in the event which was held on June 14 at Kuching hockey field after beating Gertaq HC in the final at the Sarawak Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Jalan Padungan, practised on sheer concrete for lack of a decent hockey field.
The one-day tournament, organised by Gertaq Company and SK Major General Dato Ibrahim, saw five clubs, namely Gertaq Hockey Club Kuching, Kuching Hockey Club and Sarawak Singh’s from Kuching, Rentap Hockey Club from Betong and Warrior Hockey Club (Miri) in the fray.
“I must praise all our players who made this materialise, even if we did not have a proper hockey field to practise on,” disclosed Miri hockey coach Rudi Naziri.
He added that winning was a morale booster for the team players who have been practising hard for the tournament.
“I am relieved that our players did not see the non-existence of a hockey field in Miri as an obstacle, in fact, it was for this reason that they trained extra hard to prove that they indeed deserve a proper hockey pitch.
“I feel very sad to see them practising on a concrete floor because this is also unsafe for the players. They could get injured when they slip or fall,” he said, pointing out that this did not stop them from doing their best in the sport.
Rudy said that the team will continue to do their best and hoped that the ministry concerned can provide them with a proper hockey field so that they can bring home more winners’ trophies in the future.
“We have raised this matter with the Assistant Sport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin and (till) today, we are still waiting for our request for a hockey field to materialised,” he said.
As Sarawak pursue their dream target of 70 gold medals from 24 events to emerge as overall champion in next year’s Sukma Games as host, the spin-off from upgrading of existing sports facilities must surely include a hockey pitch.
Lee had said on June 12 that besides a RM163-million new aquatics complex to be ready by October, other facilities include a hockey field, badminton and volleyball courts in Sibu and a karate-do centre in Miri, with no word on a hockey field. — by Jacqueline Raphael