FIVE-TIME CHAMPIONS: Samarahan players celebrate with coach Joseph Glundy (right) and team official Majin Banter (left) after winning the Girls U18 title for the fifth consecutive year.

KUCHING: Samarahan and Kuching ruled supreme at the Sarawak Schools Sports Council (MSSS) Hockey Championships as they captured the Girls U18 and Boys U18 crowns respectively at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium yesterday.

The Samarahan girls performed to expectations when they beat Kuching 2-0 in the U18 final to record their fifth consecutive victory in the state schools hockey meet.

Miri finished third after edging Kapit 2-1 in the play-off for third/fourth placings.

Kuching, coached by Kangot Awan and his assistant Adwin Sijib, also made a successfull defence of their Boys U18 crown when they blanked Samarahan 5-0 in the final.

Hamidi Hossen scored two goals while Luther Vandros, Galve Oyester @ Sijau and Bech Koffman had one goal each.

Finishing third were Sibu who edged Sarikei 2-1 in the play-off match.

CHAMPIONS AGAIN: Kuching players celebrate their victory with Kangot (left), team manager Aras @ Aris Selutan (fifth right) and Adwin (fifth left) after beating Samarahan 5-0 in the Boys U18 final.

Meanwhile, Sibu swept the Boys U12 and Girls U12 titles after their teams finished top of the league competition.

The boys drew 0-0 with Samarahan on Friday and beat Kuching 1-0 yesterday to collect three points to seal their top spot.

Second were Samarahan who had two points from two draws while Kuching finished third with one point from one draw and two defeats.

In the Girls U12 competition, Sibu won all their matches, thumping Samarahan 5-0 and beating Kuching 2-0 to be crowned champions.

Kuching finished second with one point and Samarahan, who also had one point, settled for third place losing on goals difference to the former.

At the end of the competition, 18 players from each category were selected to represent Sarawak at the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Hockey Championships in Melaka from June 2-9.

TOTAL DEFENCE: Samarahan players shutting out the attack from Kuching during the Girls U-12 group match yesterday. The match ended in a goalless draw. — Photos by Mohd Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: Samarahan and Kuching will fight for the titles in the Boys and Girls U-18 finals in the Sarawak Schools Sports Council (MSSS) Hockey Championships at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium today after demolishing their opponents in the semi-finals yesterday.

The Samarahan boys were the first to book their final ticket after they thrashed Sarikei 5-0 in the morning’s semi-final.

They had topped Group A with four points after blanking Betong 11-0 and drawing 1-1 with Kuching while Kuching beat Betong 7-0 in the group match.

Kuching went on to beat Sibu 3-0 in the semi-finals to set up a final showdown with Samarahan.

In the girls competition, Samarahan looks good for the crown after thumping
Kapit 8-1 in the semi-finals yesterday.

The other semi-final saw Kuching beating Miri 2-0.

Miri will now play Kapit in the third/fourth placing play-off while the boys’ third and fourth placing play-off is between Sarikei and Sibu.

Meanwhile, all three teams Kuching, Samarahan and Sibu have an equal chance of winning the Boys U-12 title as they have yet to win a match.

However, Samarahan, who have two points, have played two matches against Kuching and Sibu with both matches ending in a goalless draw.

Should Kuching or Sibu win their encounter today, that team will be crowned the champions.

As for the Girls U-12 section, Sibu are leading the table standings with three points after they beat Samarahan 5-0 and they only need a draw with Kuching today to clinch the title.

Samarahan and Kuching have one point each after their goalless draw played yesterday.

There are seven teams each taking part in the Boys U-18 and Girls U-18 competitions while the Girls U-12 and Boys U-12 competitions saw only three teams each taking part in the competition which commenced on Thursday.

This competition acts as a platform to select state representatives for the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Hockey Championships in Melaka from June 2-9.

WELL-DISCIPLINED AND DEDICATED: Sivasubramaniam (in peach shirt) watched as the students show off the skills that they were taught in the clinic.

MIRI: The lack of hockey infrastructure is hampering the further development of young talents in Miri.

In pointing this out, State chief coach for women’s hockey Sivasubramaniam Chellappah felt that inadequate facilities reduced the chance of talented players being discovered earlier and groomed by local coaches.

“I have highlighted this issue during my previous visit here, but it seems like nothing much has changed. The field for them to play is still small and they are doing their training and also tournaments in a small field which is not convenient,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.

Sivasubramaniam who is in Miri for a four-day hockey clinic said the huge turn out from hockey enthusiasts from two schools, namely SMK St Columba and Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang, was a pleasant surprise.

It was the first time he conducted a coaching session for high school students. About 70 students participated in the clinic.

“When I come back in the near future, I hope to have more coaching classes to more students and schools here.

“The clinic actually received good response from the students, their teachers and also several coaches, but sadly we could not do it at a bigger field that can accommodate more students,” he lamented.

Sivasubramaniam also said that Sarawak could perform better in hockey with better facilities and better training programmes.

He observed that the players were already well-disciplined and dedicated compared to other hockey teams which he used to coach.  “I did teach them some new techniques as well. Surprisingly, they are also fast-learners and able to catch up with the techniques within hours after I showed them,” he added.

The U-15 draw saw 12 teams participating. Paku made the semi-finals when they beat SMK Bandar Semariang Baru 2-1 while Lake slipped past SMK Matang Hilir 1-0. The stage for the semi-finals was set when Sains beat SMK St Thomas while the defending champions cruised past SMK Semerah Padi 3-0.

Penrissen rolled into the final when they brushed aside Sains 3-0 while Lake ended Paku’s run with a 1-0 scoreline.

A single Penrissen goal was enough to win them the final as they went on to shut out Lake.

Friday’s finals also saw the defending champions extend their 12-year reign in the senior boys’ competition.

The nine-a-side senior boys’ title was contested by 11 teams.

Sains qualified for the final when they beat Paku and then Bau, both with 1-0 scores.

Penrissen marched into the final when they beat both Bako and Lake 2-0 each.

In the final, Sains was forced to backpedal for most of the 24-minute match as the champs stamped their class.

A penalty corner in the first half saw the ball rebounded off Sains goalkeeper for Penrissen skipper Luther V. Thomson to slamm in the only goal of the match.

In the second half, Penrissen had their chances including a penalty corner, but were unable to convert.

Sains’ coach Mohd. Hazman acknowledged that his side were in a difficult situation.

“They are a very good tactical side,” he said while acknowledging that the defending champion dominated the match.

Nonetheless, he was upbeat about the performance of his team.

“We have improved greatly since last year. I feel our defense is quite good but our offense have to improve,” he added. Hazman has coached the team since 2010.

Penrissen’s coach Kangot Awan was pleased to see his boys continue their proud tradition but was perturbed by one aspect of their play.

“Our players need to improve on the technical side of their play,” he observed.

The Bau girls finally knocked arch-nemesis SMK Penrissen off their perch in their Tuesday’s final match held recently at Sarawak Hockey Stadium of Jalan Padungan.

The teams in Group A were defending champion Penrissen, SMK Lake, SMK Matang Hilir and SM Sains.

In Group B were SMK Bau, SMK Paku, SMK Matang Jaya and SMK Santubong.

SMK Penrissen started off brightly in the 9-a-side tourney when they beat Lake 2-0 and stepped it up a notch by hammering both SMK Matang Hilir and SM Sains with identical 4-0 scores.

Last year’s losing finalists SMK Bau made it clear of their intention when they steam-rolled over Paku 6-o in their opener and soon after that dismantled SMK Matang Jaya 6-0 and they cruised to a 4-0 win over SMK Santubong.

The junior girls’ draw saw defending champion SMK Bau topping their three team Group A with a clean record.

Losing finalists Penrissen topped the four team Group B with a 4-0 record and making the junior girls’ semi-finals were MRSM and SMK Lake team.

The final match was a tight affair with both sides unable to break the 1-1 deadlock at the final whistle.

In the ensuing penalty strokes, the defending champs held their nerves to prevail 2-0 while the Lake team beat MRSM to take the bronze medal.

Losing semi-finalists, SMK Santubong consoled themselves with the bronze medal with a 2-1 win over SMK Lake in the battle for third place.

As expected, the final was a nail-biter with the score deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the 24-minute match. The Bau girls joined their junior teammates in the winners’ circle after they scored on both chances while the defending champs could only score once.

SMk Bau coach Raphael Michael Ruda revealed that he had not put high hopes on his Under15 team while admitting to expecting big things from his senior girls.

“I knew we could win the Under18 title but i did not know how we would do in the Under15 competition. After seeing how we played, i knew that we had a good chance of doing very well in the Under15,” he said.

“I am very happy for the players. They worked hard and they deserve to win the championships,” said the coach whose Under15 team have now held the title since 2011.

NO WAY: SM Sains `A’ player (in red) moving in to tackle a St Columba Senior player in the schools girl’s final yesterday.

MIRI: Highly fancied SM St Columba `B’ emerged champion after beating SMK Chung Hua `B’ 1-0 in the final of the Cement Hockey Championship for the schools boy’s category held at SM St Columba here yesterday.

St Columba `A’ took third place after beating SM Sains A 1-0.

In the schools girl’s category, SM Sains `A’ beat St Columba Senior also by 1-0 in the final while St Columba `A’ clinched third placing.

Teams in the open category also seemed to competing in fancy names. Eventually, Warrior Mixed toppled Champion `A’ in the men’s final while Warrior was third after beating Champion `B’ 3-0.

In the women’s final, Warrior became champion after beating St Columba.

Third place went to Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang.

According to the spokesman for the organisers Ahmad Faisal Mohamed Supian, the tournament was participated by 32 teams including six high schools.

“We did not expect to have such huge support for this tournament from students and members of the public,” he said.

He added that the organisers hoped to organise more such tournaments in the near
future as there is an evident love for the sport among high school students.

According to the school’s hockey club advisor, Ahmed Faisal Mohamed Supian the tournament is divided into four categories namely men’s open, women’s open and for school children (boys and girls).

The entry fee for students is only RM30 per team and RM100 per team for the general public.

Completed forms with the entry feea must be submitted to the organisers by today and with the draw to be held later the same day.

The registration form can be obtained from SMK St. Columba or those interested can contact Faisal at 019-5663388 or Rudi at 013-8247571.

SMK BAU ALL THE WAY!: SMK Bau girls after winning the PBB Nine-a-side U-18 Invitational hockey competition yesterday.

KUCHING: Jubilant SMK Bau swept both the Boy’s and Girl’s titles of the PBB P194 Petra Jaya Nine-a-side U-18 Invitational hockey competition yesterday.

The two-day competition, a joint effort of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) and other partner organisations, was played out in a league format.

After winning four matches and drawing one, the SMK Bau boys were quite clearly the best team of the tournament after amassing 16 points.

The girl’s team was also fortunate to have the services of state Sukma player Camellia Edy who helped the team to emerge champion.

SMK Bau school coach Raphael Michael Ruda was overjoyed with his teams.

“I would like to thank all those who are involved with the team not forgetting my assistant Atar Ghiret, the school PKKK Stanley Stewart and our school principal Zakiah Abdul Hamid for their tremendous help and support,” he said.

Raphael added that the key to their success was hard work combined with discipline and love for the game.

He hoped that his teams would have more chances to compete in more hockey tournaments in the future.

“Our success today is no fluke and we are ready to compete at any tournament after this. As long as we continue to work hard, I believe that nothing is impossible,” enthused Raphael.

In the Boy’s category, Impian Zaman 1Mas team was second place with 13 points followed by SM Sains Kuching who finished third with nine points.

SMK Taee had to settle for second place in the Girl’s category after obtaining seven points, three point above SMK Bako who came in third place with four points.

Seven boys’ teams and five girls’ teams from around Kuching and Samarahan division competed in the tournament.

All invited teams were from the schools except for the corporately-sponsored Impian Zaman 1Mas team which competed in the Boy’s category.

All winners of the tournament  took home trophies, medals and cash prizes.

In the tournament to be played at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia were drawn in Group A with runner-up Pakistan, Japan and Oman. Group B comprise South Korea, India, China and Bangladesh.

Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Tan Sri P. Alagendra said teams drawn in Group A and B for the 2013 Hockey Asia Cup was based on the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) ranking.

“The schedule for the matches will be decided by end of next month once we receive confirmation,” he told reporters after the 62nd AHF congress meeting yesterday.

Hong Kong and Taiwan have been placed on standby to replace any teams that decide to pull out from now until the tournament proper. The 2013 Asia Cup champion in Ipoh would represent Asia in the World Cup that will feature 12 teams in The Hague, Holland, from June 2 to 15, 2014.

Malaysia has seen action in the World Cup six times since 1973 and finished in eighth spot when Malaysia hosted the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and 2010 in India. — Bernama

SPECIAL OLYMPIANS: Liza (right) and officials with some of the floor hockey athletes.

MIRI: Kuching and Miri athletes will spearhead Malaysia’s challenge in floor hockey at the Special Winter Olympics to be held at Pyeongchang, South Korea from Jan 29 to Feb 5 2013.

The 14 selected athletes from Kuching, Bau and Miri include students from special education classes (PKKI) of SMK Demak Baru, Diplomatik Road.

Chef de mission Liza Chai said this will be Malaysia’s second appearance in the floor hockey competition.

“The first time Malaysia competed in floor hockey was at the Special Olympics World Games in Idaho, USA in 2009 where we won the silver medal.

This time around we will try to do our very best to compete with the other top teams. Our target is of course the gold medal,” said Liza to The Borneo Post yesterday.

Liza, who is also the chairman for the Sunflower Centre Miri, said two athletes from Sabah will also be competing for the first time in snow shoeing.

The team accompanied by six officials and coaches will leave Miri on 25 Jan and be back in Miri on 7 Feb.

More than 2,300 athletes from over 110 nations will be competing in the week-long 2013 Special Olympic Winter Games.

The event will also welcome an array of dignitaries, sports legends, celebrities and corporate leaders to witness the inspiring power of sports to unite people with and without intellectual disabilities.

They include H.E. Joyce Banda, President, Republic of Malawi; Cherie Blair, Chancellor, Asian University for Women; Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi; and actress Zhang Ziyi.

Sports legends like Bart Conner, Toby Dawson, Donna DeVarona and Michelle Kwan are also among the notable names from around the world who are scheduled to attend.

The Special Olympics, held once every four years, is the world’s largest sports organisation for adults and children with intellectual disabilities.

It seeks to change lives by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and mutual respect worldwide.

The organisation also provides year-round training and activities to over 4 million athletes in 170 countries including Malaysia.

The state team secured seventh position, an improvement from its 12th position in 2011.

Sarawak won two matches in the tournament after beating Kelantan and Selangor by 3-1 and 1-0 respectively.

However, the team lost to Penang, Negri Sembilan, Sabah and Pahang.

Team manager and coach Desmond Labung said that the improvement in result was a positive signal for the team’s future.

Paul Revington’s boys had earlier chalked up two victories after whipping Japan and Oman, both with a 4-1 scores.

Mohd Fitri Saari opened accounts for the Malaysian side in the 20th minute when his shot was deflected into goal by a Pakistani player, according to www.malaysianhockey.blogspot.com.

A few minutes later, Samir Al Shibi equalised for Pakistan — last year’s runners-up — before national forward Mohd Faisal Saari restored Malaysia’s advantage through his trademark reverse hit in the 43rd minute.

Rashid Mehmood converted a penalty corner to level the score before Muhd Waqas Sharif scored Pakistan’s third goal to put the Champions Trophy’s bronze medallist ahead.

Malaysia’s Mohd Faisal bagged his second goal of the match through a field goal, two minutes before the final whistle, to ensure both teams shared the spoils.

Malaysia will play China today before wrapping up their match against defending champion, India, on Wednesday.

In earlier matches, India whitewashed Oman 11-0 while China defeated Japan 4-2.

Malaysia edged Japan 1-0 to bag the bronze medal in the first edition of the tournament in Ordos, China, last year. — Bernama

GOAL SCORING DRILLS: As part of their training for the 8th Girls under 16 MSN Milo Hockey Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak’s women team players like Cammelia Endy (left) and Lora King had undergone rigorous goal scoring drills which were aimed to boost their skills at hitting it home.

KUCHING: Unseeded state hockey team registered their second win in ongoing 8th Girls under 16 MSN Milo Hockey Championship in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

On Thursday’s opener Sarawak Women Hockey Association (SWHA) coach, Sivasubramaniam fielded mostly new faces and they trounced last Sukma champion Terengganu 4-0 with goals scored by Imelda Thomas, Christina Ella Ahon and Vagressia Apany.

And yesterday the same team thrashed last Sukma’s semifinalist Negeri Sembilan 3-0 through a brace from Lora King who scored in both halves while Cammilia Endy added her name to the score-sheet in the dying minutes.

Sivasubramaniam said that after fielding all the 12 new faces in the two matches, he is confident that they will advance into the next stage of the competition.

He added that the goal scoring drilling the players went through during their intensive training camp have produced good result as the team won by a bigger score-line and also did not concede any goals in recent matches.

According to him it showed that the players have improved especially in the goalkeeping led by Mayrin Nayai from Sibu.

Sivasubramaniam added after a lapse of six years, Sarawak is the only unseeded team in the Group A with comprised strong teams of Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pulau Pinang and Selangor.

“Our girls will play Selangor today and after watching us beating our two opponents they knew it will be very tough match against us but we will take it one match at a time,” he said of Sarawak’s challenge spearheaded by Jessie Kay Frankie, Imelda Thomas, Olivia William, Jesicali Seberi, Cammelia Endy, Lora King, Sara Phillip, Averi Joseph, Wilina Mac Carina, Mozyliana Ezza Radin, Averi Joseph, Wisnika Junin, Leonney Suzye Roland, Vagressia Apany, Averynathanie Llyn and Rose Idda Derik, Mayrin Nayai and Christin Ela Ahon.

NEW FACES: The new players in SWHA under-16 squad are namely (from left) Mayrin Nayai Maseng, Jessie Kay Frankie, Imelda Thomas, Olivia William, Christin Ela Ahon, Jesicali Seberi, Cammelia Endy, Lora King, Sara Phillip, Averi Joseph, (from right) Wilina Mac Carina, Mozyliana Ezza Radin, Averi Joseph, Wisnika Junin, Leonney Suzye Roland, Vagressia Apany, Averynathanie Llyn and Rose Idda Derik are the core players of the state squad for 2014 and 2016 Sukma.

KUCHING: Sarawak is expected to field 12 new players in its squad for the coming 8th MSN Milo Girls Under-16 Hockey Championship to be held in Kuala Lumpur from Dec 12 to 20.

Sarawak Women Hockey Association (SWHA) head coach, Sivasubramaniam disclosed the new faces will be joined by six seniors who will be leading the way.

“After a lapse of six years of not sending the under-16 girls team to participate in any national
level tournament…this is the first step of a long journey in order for us to achieve the state past hockey success at national level competitions,” he said.

According to him, the annual event will serve good avenue for the junior team to gain exposure and to test their strength and weaknesses when playing as a unit.

Even though Sivasubramaniam had not set any target for the team to achieve in the week-long tournament he expressed optimism for them to perform well especially with the presence of Mayrin Nayai as the new goalkeeper.

Sivasubramaniam said it is heartening to see that SHA is holding more hockey tournaments on regular basis which is aimed to promote and develop the standard of the game locally.

“And I hope our under 16 girls’ team will bring good result
from the competitions as a proof that they are indeed an excellent reserve of talents,” he said.

Those shortlisted for the 18 member state squad are Jessie Kay Frankie, Imelda Thomas, Olivia William, Jesicali Seberi, Cammelia Endy, Lora King, Sara Phillip, Averi Joseph, Wilina Mac Carina, Mozyliana Ezza Radin, Averi Joseph, Wisnika Junin, Leonney Suzye Roland, Vagressia Apany, Averynathanie Llyn and Rose Idda Derik.

The win was sweet revenge for the Korean side that had lost 2-4 to the national side in their Pool A match.

Korea, the seventh ranked team in the world were simply brilliant, dominating possession in the first half and scored four times without reply to stun the national side and coach Paul Revington, since they had won all their four matches in convincing style.

Hyun Hye Sung opened accounts for the Korean side as early as the eighth minute with a rising penalty corner flick before he claiming his second goal of the match, 19 minutes later with a smart finish following a driving run from the right.

Things went from bad to worse when Malaysia scored an own goal in the 32nd minute before Korean skipper Lee Seung Il drilled home a penalty corner, a minute later to give Korea a huge 4-0 half time lead.–Bernama

CHALLENGERS: State women hockey assistant coaches Nelyana Aling (left) and Pamela Tia (right) with Sarawak shadow squad trainees in jubilant mood during centralised training at Sarawak Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Speaking to thesundaypost yesterday, Sarawak Women Hockey Association (SWHA) head coach Sivasubramaniam revealed that the trip is made possible through the initiative and strong support from the SWHA president Datin Mary Sadiah Zainuddin.

“It is the first step of a long journey in order to achieve the state past hockey success at national level competitions,” he added.

Sivasubramaniam disclosed that most of the 27 girls selected and attending centralised training would be eligible to play in 2014 and 2016 Sukma, and added that they would make the core players of the state squad.

According to the coach, the majority of the regulars are from SMK Tebakang and SMK Bau, while others are raw talents from SMK Sains, SMK St Colomba in Miri and SMK Sibu Jaya.

Sivasubramaniam was especially elated with the new find in Falessca Francis of Belaga, Alice Sakai from Lawas and Mayrin Nayai, a goalkeeper from Sibu Jaya.

“The three new recruits despite the fact that they have not being exposed to any high level training or matches, I discovered that they possessed the tactical and technical talents of a hockey player and if given time to expose them to competitive games, they will become skilful and are the players to watch in next Sukma,” expressed Sivasubramaniam.

“Even though we had not set any target to finish on the top three spots in the tournament, I am optimistic that with Mayrin Nayai as goalkeeper, we would be able perform well. Judging from past experience, our team lost most of our games mainly due to poor goalkeeping,” added Sivasubramaniam.

For the battles ahead, Sivasubramaniam is assisted by a coaching team comprising Nelyana Aling, Pamela Tia, Christina Jaggiu (goalkeeper coach), Beatrice Sawin while former national player Lisa Ludong acts as team manager.

He said the new national hockey coach Paul Revington was capable of guiding the squad as he had been given the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) by the national hockey parent body, prior to this.

“Our target is to be in the four best teams, and the coach himself has given his views (to me) that he was confident about the team.

“I am confident about the target because the players selected are a combination of old and new,” said Tengku Abdullah, who is also Football Association of Malaysia deputy president, after a surprise visit at the national football squad training session, here yesterday.

Malaysia, which was voted into Group A, will meet Poland in the curtain raiser today, Korea
on Sunday and Canada on Tuesday.

Group B was headed by two-time champions and hosts Argentina with Ireland, Japan and South Africa.

For the record, the national hockey squad’s best achievement at the championship was fourth place in 2001 when it was host. — Bernama

The 2013 Project squad lost out to a Kane Russel penalty corner strike during extra time after the match had ended 1-1 during regulation time.

Coach Muhammad Dhaarma Raj said it was evident that the players were mentally tired, especially after watching them miss easy passes or when defending feeble shots at goal.

“They were missing easy shots, short passes and could not defend the penalty corner well. Mental fatigue is not an excuse but need to be given serious attention,” he said after the match.

He added that since he had only four days to work with the team, time factor was another reason why the team could not perform more aggressively.

Malaysia who were dominating 60 percent of the exchanges had five penalty corners in the first half but penalty corner specialist Muhammad Noor Faeez Ibrahim failed to make them count although New Zealand goalkeeper Sam Greaney was a stumbling block.

Play was suspended for 25 minutes due to rain when the match entered the 28th minute of the first half but though Malaysia came back strong in the second half to take the lead through Shazril Irwan Nazli (48th minute), New Zealand managed to equalise in the 58th minute through Jared Panchia.

The Malaysian side, looking jaded during extra time, conceded a penalty corner in the 72nd minute which was clinically converted by Russel to give the Kiwis fifth place. — Bernama

However, the result did not help Malaysia’s position in the table standings with the hosts still at the bottom with just four points.

An due to this, Malaysia now have to settle for the fifth/sixth placing match playoff.

Malaysia’s coach Muhammad Dharma Raj, however, did not see Malaysia’s performance as a failure, saying the other teams had taken the national Under-21 team seriously, being defending champions.

“The tournament also helps us to capitalise on our strengths and improve on our weaknesses ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championship in New Delhi next year,” he told the post-match press conference. –Bernama

HOCKEY CHAMPIONS: Members from Tenby Team A (back row) and Tenby Team B (front) in jubilant mood as they do the victory pose with their shiny medals won at the recent Panaga Hockey Tournament held in Brunei.

MIRI: Tenby Team A of Tenby International School (TIS), Miri emerged victorious in the recent Panaga hockey tournament held in Brunei after having edged five other contenders.

Sai Rithvik Vijapurapu became the toast of his team after having scored excellent goals to secure Tenby Team A’s victory amidst strong challenge from others.

Tenby Team B won the third place with outstanding goals contributed by Auturo Van Alebeek in the tournament organised by Brunei’s Panaga Hockey Club.

During the event, Tenby’s Year 7 student Yutaro Kosuge received
the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award for his excellent team work and display of high sportsmanship.

According to the school’s Physical Education (PE) specialist teacher, Chloe the recent outing served as a new exciting experience for many of the selected squad members who have been learning hockey in their school lessons.

TIS Miri is the latest addition to the group of Tenby Schools and provides international education for local students as well as expatriate students living in Miri.

The school offers an international student-centred programme for students from Early Years to Secondary (age 3 to 15), with the primary and secondary schools operating on the same campus.