The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Defending champions back on track after big win in Penang
- Malaysia in tough company for World League semi-finals
- Poor response for this year’s Malaysia Hockey League
| Defending champions back on track after big win in Penang Posted: 31 Jan 2013 04:06 PM PST [unable to retrieve full-text content]GEORGE TOWN: SSTMI-Thunderbolt showcased their credentials as strong contenders to retain the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League Division One crown by whipping MSSP-USM 7-0 at the USM Stadium here yesterday. |
| Malaysia in tough company for World League semi-finals Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will have Germany, England, Pakistan and South Korea for company when they host the FIH World League semi-finals from June 29-July 7. The four teams are automatic qualifiers for the semi-finals based on their FIH world rankings. Malaysia received an automatic berth after being selected as the host country. The tournament will be held in Johor Baru. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed the five teams for the second semi-final yesterday. The tournament will have eight teams in the fray. Three more teams will be picked after Round Two of the World League. Holland will host the first semi-final in Rotterdam from June 13-23. The teams who have automatically qualified for Rotterdam are hosts Holland, Australia, Spain and New Zealand. Four more teams will join the fray after Round Two. The top four teams from each semi-final will then play in the final round and these teams will gain automatic berths to the 2014 World Cup. Malaysia were initially scheduled to play in Round Two in Elektrostal, Russia, at the end of May. Their place in that tournament will now be taken by the Czech Republic. The other teams are Russia, Japan, Austria, Ukraine and Egypt. Germany were originally scheduled to host both the men's and women's Hockey World League semi-finals as well as the Women's Junior World Cup (from July 27-Aug 4 in Moenchengladbach). However, they have chosen to host only the Women's Junior World Cup due to financial restrictions. As such, Malaysia will now host the men's Hockey World League semi-final while the women's event will be hosted by another country. FIH president Leandro Negre was pleased to have found an alternative host despite the short notice. "There is not a doubt that the month of June will be historic and fantastic for our sport. I would especially like to thank Malaysia for stepping in to be hosts on short notice. It is further evidence of the spirit of cooperation that we enjoy in international hockey." The Hockey World League Round Two recently kicked off with a women's five-team tournament in Cape Town, South Africa. Hosts South Africa and Belgium became the first two teams to earn a spot in the Hockey World League semi-final through the qualification process. |
| Poor response for this year’s Malaysia Hockey League Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Only 11 teams have signed up for this year's Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) – compared to 13 last year – when entries closed yesterday. There were six teams in the Premier Division and seven in Division One last year. All six Premier Division teams are back in the fray this time. But the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have been saddled with a minor problem with Terengganu's entrance. Terengganu, having hired some of the best players in the country, will surely be way too strong for the other teams in Division One. They have asked to play in the Premier Division and the MHC will only make a decision prior to the team managers' meeting on March 3. The six Premier League teams who are back for another season are KL Hockey Club, Tenaga Nasional, Maybank, Sapura, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) and Nur Insafi. The teams who have signed up for Division One are UiTM, Uniten-KPT, Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and Thunderbolt. Last year's Division One champions Johor have not entered a team while Politeknik-KPT have declined to take part. Armed Forces have verbally agreed to take part but have asked for more time to make a final decision. MHC secretary general Johari Abdul Aziz said that teams could still register with them in the coming week. "The competitions committee will also look at Terengganu's request to play in the Premier Division and decide on the format of play for the new season," he said. Terengganu's request is not without precedent. In 2011, Yayasan Negri Sembilan entered a team comprising 11 foreign players. The MHC put them in the Premier Division although they should have featured in Division One. The team did not take part the following year. This season's MHL is due to start on March 22, with the final slated for May. Last year, KLHC won the double. |
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