The Warrior Hockey Girls with Rudi (fifth left) and Muhamad (seventh left) after emerging as champions in Beaufort, Sabah.
MIRI: Warrior Hockey Club (WHC) girl’s team has emerged champion in the SMK Weston Under-16 tournament in Beaufort, Sabah which ended yesterday.
Three of the players also received individual honours with Stefivia Siew as Overall Best Player, Alicia Janie Ranggi as Best Goalkeeper and Charlena Lawing as Top Scorer.
WHC, whose players comprised students of Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang (KTDTHB), defeated another Sarawakian team SMK Sebauh 2-0 in the final.
“I am very happy that the team did very well, though some of the players had never even played on an AstroTurf before,” said Miri coach Rudi Naziri.
“We have been practising on concrete floor because Miri does not have the very much needed hockey field. Only four of the players are experienced and had played on AstroTurf before, while the rest are new faces.”
He added that WHC have won numerous tournaments inside and outside Miri and deserve to have a proper hockey field or even an AstroTurf to train and play on.
The Miri players at the Beaufort tournament are aged between 12 to 15.
“Before we left for Beaufort, we had a hard time finding sponsors. We approached a number of big companies but none wanted to sponsor us, most probably because they did not think we could do well.
“So we left with very little sponsorship, barely enough to support us. But I am so proud that my team has proven otherwise, that they are just as capable and talented as any other teams with major sponsorship, as well as those who practised on a proper hockey field,” he said.
Also accompanying the team to Sabah was a teacher-in-charge from KTDTHB, Muhamad Handi.