The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- League champs KLHC now aiming for fifth double
- Malaysia to rev up with China friendly and South Africa tour
- Coach Yang admits Pandelela must improve in future meets
| League champs KLHC now aiming for fifth double Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:38 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will turn their attention to winning their fifth double after picking up the Premier Division crown in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL). The star-studded side, previously known as Ernst and Young, swept to their eighth straight league title with two matches to spare when they defeated Maybank 4-2 in Penang on Sunday. KLHC led by national player and veteran Chua Boon Huat have 28 points after 10 matches in the seven-team league, nine more than second-placed Maybank. Tenaga Nasional are third on 18 points. Said KLHC team manager George Koshy: "We are a little lucky to win the league title this time. The matches are getting tougher to win and all the teams have strength in depth. It is just unfortunate that they dropped points to allow us to wrap up the title earlier than expected." He added that KLHC, the 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 double champions, would use the remaining matches to iron out the flaws in the team. "Our game is not perfect yet. There are many areas where work is needed. So it is important that we pay more attention to these areas and use the matches as a stepping stone for the overall title," said Koshy. Being the Premier Division champions, KLHC have been given a bye in the quarter-finals. The second-placed team will also proceed to the semi-finals. Joining KLHC in the knockout stage from the Premier Division are Maybank, Tenaga, Sapura, Universiti Kuala Lumpur and Terengganu. The focus this weekend will be on the battle for second place between Maybank and Tenaga. There is also an interesting battle at the other end of the table. Fourth-placed Sapura (14 points), fifth-placed Terengganu (10) and sixth-placed UniKL (10) are the teams involved in avoiding the drop to Division One. Bottom side Nur Insafi, with only a point, will play in Division One next season. |
| Malaysia to rev up with China friendly and South Africa tour Posted: 22 Apr 2013 03:27 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: A five-match series with China in Kuala Lumpur and a tour of South Africa will be the final phase of preparation for the national hockey team prior to the FIH World League semi-final in Johor Baru from June 29-July 9. The World League semi-final, involving eight teams, is a qualifier for next year's World Cup. World No. 1 Germany, England, South Korea, Pakistan and Malaysia have already confirmed their places. Three more teams will be finalised after the second round of the World League in early June. The national team will only resume their training after the final of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) which is slated for May 19. The team will go to Johor Baru for a three day-stint once the training squad have been named. Said national coach Paul Revington: "The matches with China will be held from May 21 until the end of the month. "We hope to go off to Johannesburg on June 3. There are no other matches lined-up as I feel these matches will be sufficient for our purpose." Revington has been watching almost all the MHL matches to select the best available players. Last week, he held a training session for 15 players. He hopes to bring in more players for the second session next week. Besides the World League semi-final, the team are also preparing for the Asia Cup in Ipoh in August. The Asia Cup is also a World Cup qualifier with the champions gaining an automatic berth. If Malaysia fail to get among the top four in Johor Baru, then they must aim to win the Asia Cup. Otherwise, they will miss another World Cup. Malaysia last featured in the World Cup in 2002. Then, they were automatic qualifiers by virtue of being the host nation. |
| Coach Yang admits Pandelela must improve in future meets Posted: 22 Apr 2013 04:50 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Pandelela Rinong was given a timely reality check after a dismal performance in the individual 10m platform final of the FINA Diving World Series in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sunday. The London Olympic bronze medallist was unable to repeat the consistency she showed in the semi-final. As a result, she plunged to the bottom of the six-woman final in the series' third leg. The 20-year-old Bidayuh lass was looking good for a medal finish given her comfortable semi-final win and the absence of world and Olympic champion Chen Ruolin. But Pandelela, who won a bronze in the opening leg in Beijing last month, started on the wrong foot. She made two poor dives that earned her only 61.50 and 63.80 points. From there onwards, it was obvious that the podium was out of her reach. She garnered 73.60 in the third dive but flopped again in the fourth with a disastrous 59.20. The 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist signed off with a 72.00 for a 330.10 total. China, the world's diving superpower, picked up the gold through 14-year-old Si Yajie. The world junior champion was a runaway winner, accumulating 405.60 points. Compatriot Liu Huixia took the silver with a 374.50 total while Mexican Alejandra Orozco chalked up 367.45 points for the bronze. Said Malaysian head coach Yang Zhuliang: "Pandelela did not do badly, it is just that the standard of competition is high at the World Series. It is a good wake-up call. Now she needs to work a lot harder on her consistency ahead of the World Championships in Barcelona in July." Nevertheless, it was still a good outing for Malaysia with Pandelela-Leong Mun Yee winning the silver in the 10m platform synchro and a bronze through Cheong Jun Hoong-Wendy Ng Yan Yee in the 3m springboard synchro. The medal won by Jun Hoong-Wendy was Malaysia's first in the discipline at a world-level competition. The Malaysian squad will head for Moscow tomorrow for this weekend's fourth leg. The last two legs will be in Guadalajara (May 17-19) and Mexico City (May 24-26). |
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