REVS NAMES HIS SQUAD

There were no surprises when national coach Paul Revington revealed at a Press Conference in Bukit Jalil the 16 of 18 players to carry the Malaysian challenge in the World League Round 3 Semi Finals in Johor Baru from June 29 to July 8.

Another two players will be named next Friday, three days before the team moves to Johor Baru on June 24.

Malaysia play Argentina on June 25 and Germany on June 26 in their last lap of preparation for the WLR3 where they are in Group B with England, Pakistan and South Africa.

In Group A are Germany, Argentina, Japan and South Korea.

Revington had a chat with Malaysian Hockey on his views with the team's indifferent performances in their matches against a province team from China and their recent tour of South Africa that ended with three matches loat and a draw.

Malaysian Hockey: What are your views on conceding late goals - a Malaysian malady that has returned to haunt us. Azlan Shah final was the first, but now in two matches in South Africa?

Revs : It is never a good habit to be considered a team who concedes late goals – and you have to work extremely hard to change such a reputation. We went a long way in Azlan Shah 2012 to change that by scoring two goals versus Korea in the last 4 minutes; managing a 2-1 win in the final minute versus NZ; scoring the equalizer versus Australia (pool game) in the final minute; and scoring the equalizer versus India in the final minute too. The game against Australia in the final we conceded 2 goals in the final 3 minutes of the first half and 1 goal in the final 15 seconds.

This was purely down to physical fitness and not having the physical endurance capacity (yet) to think and function clearly under pressure against the number 2 Team in world hockey. In South Africa we suffered from mental and physical stress in the closing phases of the 2 games in question – stress that we knew the Tour would create but were disappointed not to cope better with as individuals and as a Team.  

Malaysian Hockey: Who is the penalty corner specialist, that was with the team in South Africa. Who he worked on in relation to penalty corners. Will he be in Johor Baru?

Revs :  Adel Fuentes is his name. He is Argentinean but lives and works (for past 12 years) in the Netherlands. He worked with 5 flickers (Faizal; Razie; Kazamirul; Fitri Saari and Firhan) throughout the phase in South Africa. It would be ideal to have him work in Johor Baru and Arul will present a proposal to the MSN to try and achieve this. 

Malaysian Hockey ; There was gaps/spaces between defense and attack in our team so why was this happening?

Revs: The South African Tour was designed to create physical stress for the athletes (playing at high altitude and multiple games in a row) and this proved to be a tough aspect of games to manage all the time (pushing up on attack; reverse pressing after ball loss) whilst in SA. Every one is aware of this issue and it will be rectified come the WL 3. 

Malaysian Hockey : Why name 16 now and not 18, what areas are you unsure off?

Revs : I don’t think we are necessarily unsure of various areas – more certain about 15 or 16 players and then keeping the door open as long as possible for all Squad players to fight for the remaining 2 or 3 places in the WL 3 Team in the coming week. Those players who did not tour SA will still have an opportunity to prove their worth in the coming week.  

The Squad of 16

Azlan Misron. Baljit Singh. Chua Boon Huat. Faisal Saari. Faiz Helmi. Izwan Tajuddin. S.Kumar. Mohd Shukri Mutalib. Izad Hakimi. Fitri Saari. Shahrun Nabil. Mohd Marhan Jalil. Mohd Razie Rahim. Mohd Nabil Fiqri Mohd Nor. Roslan Jamaluddin. Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tg Jalil.

RIP KATTRIVALE

Its with deep regret to inform you that former football and hockey international refree and umpire Mr Kathrivale father of Mr Ananthavale (CIMB) have passed away this morning.

May his soul rest in peace.

Funeral today at 5pm at Loke  Yew Crematorium this evening.

Please call Anand  HP 0123271174 for details.

SOUTH AFRICA COMPLETE ROUT OF MALAYSIA

SA HOCKEY MEN BEAT MALAYSIA 3-1

JONATHAN COOK
in Randburg

South African hockey witnessed arguably its biggest-ever crowd at Randburg Hockey Stadium Tuesday night and the fans weren’t disappointed when the lads in green and gold beat Malaysia 3-1 in the fourth and final Test after leading 1-0 at half-time, a result that leaves SA 3-0 series winners.

SA won the first Test 2-1 and the second Test 3-1 while the third Test was a 4-4 draw.

SA opened the scoring thanks to Wade Paton’s 15^th-minute penalty stroke after Clint Panther was upended in the strike zone.

Both sides had great chances during the match but a combination of superb goalkeeping and defending kept the scoreboard quiet.

Turnovers came and went as the game became looser but the crowd erupted in the 55^th minute when SA conjured up a slide-rule move down the right for Pierre de Voux to smash the ball past goalkeeper Kairulnizam Ibrahim (2-0).

Malaysia hit back in the 57^th when Chua Boon Huat set up Ahmad Tajudin Tengku’s magnificent reverse-stick blast that ripped into the net (2-1).

Malaysia won their first PC on the hour-mark but outstanding keeper Rassie Pieterse saved superbly before SA broke out fast for De Voux to get in a shot that was blocked, while Firhan Asaari came agonisingly close at the other end soon after. With three minutes left Rhett Halkett steered two Malaysian penalty corners off the goalline with remarkable skill.

And to rub salt into the wounds SA broke away with Jonty Robinson at first, then De Voux and Miguel da Graca combining, before Julian Hykes made it 3-1 with a quick-fire shot that cracked into the backboard.

The teams meet again in Pool B at the World League semi-finals in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on June 30 and SA will go in with the psychological advantage.

Mugg & Bean Player of the Series was SA captain Austin Smith. 

KUALA LUMPUR - WE HAVE A PROBLEM

The old Malaysian malady of conceding goals in the final few minutes of matches has returned to haunt the national hockey team as evident in the Test Series against South Africa.

Who can ever forget the penalty corner goal Malaysia conceded Malaysia conceded at the 2000 Sydney Olympics against Pakistan that cost Malaysia a chance for the best ever finish in the history of our Olympic participation?

After that there were a series of events in which Malaysia conceded late goals. One would have thought that newly appointed coach Paul Revington had cured it as Malaysia went on to carve out impressive performances at the Champions Challenge 1 as well as the AHF Champions Trophy late last year.

But conceding a goal in the final four seconds in the Azlan Shah Cup final against Australia did raise some eyebrows.

And now the performance at South Africa reveals that the reprieve was temporary.

While we call that a malady, the inconsistency in converting penalty corners must surely be of concern to Revington and his assistant Arul Selvaraj.

It is learnt that a penalty corner specialist from Argentina who is based in Holland was roped in to help in the penalty corner department.

Details remain sketchy as to who this individual is but from the results in South Africa, the hiring of this specialist has not yielded the desired results.

But to be fair it's the performance at the World League Semis later this month that matters and until then the critics are prepared to hold on to their smoking guns.

But lingering out there is another factor that is said to have affected the performances of the team and it all has to done with the inaction of the MHC and NSC.

We can only hope that it is not the case for if true then even calling Kuala Lumpur will not help the cause.

A COSTLY DRAW

Hykes clinches series with equaliser 8 seconds from time

JONATHON COOK in Potchefstroom

South Africa men’s hockey team came back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to draw 4-4 with Malaysia in the third Test at University of North West Hockey Centre in Potchefstroom Sunday and clinched the series 2-0 with one to play.

SA had won the first Test 2-1 and the second Test 3-1 at UNWHC, while Malaysia desperately needed a win to give themselves a chance of levelling the series in the fourth and final clash at 7 pm Tuesday at Randburg Hockey Stadium.

Julian Hykes made the all-important equaliser for 4-4 with just eight seconds left in the match.

South Africa’s penalty corners were poor – just one of the six brought success - while a host of great combination plays were undone in field play when the final pass went astray just metres from goal.In the first half Malaysia made the most of what came their way and went into the half-time break with a 2-0 lead. 

Against the run of play Fitri Saari worked some magic up the left-hand baseline with exquisite stickwork to set up Izwan Firdaus for the opening goal in the 27th minute, Malaysia having scored first in all three Test matches.

Two minutes later Malaysia stole away again and Faiz Helmi conjured up a fine piece of skill to open the way for Chua Boon Huat and it was 2-0 by the 29th minute.

In the first half, two of South Africa’s three penalty corners were botched at the stage of trapping the injection pass, while the only one on target saw captain Austin Smith’s effort glanced safely away by goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin.

Three minutes after the break SA won a fourth PC but again it was fluffed and five minutes later Razie Abdul Rahim went on an unchallenged solo run to smash the ball from the top of the strike zone into the net for 3-0 after 43 minutes. 

Two minutes later, in the 45th, SA midfielder Taine Paton showed presence of mind to catch the Malaysian defenders unawares and finished with a cracking shot into the backboard for 3-1.

However, SA continued to miss gilt-edged chances in the goal zone, but they got it right in the 59thminute when Matt Botha’s assist was buried by Pierre de Voux for 3-2. 

SA’s fifth PC followed soon after and Ricky West’s effort was blocked by keeper Jamaluddin. Then in the 63rd minute Smith sent a stunning drag-flick from SA’s sixth PC high into the net for 3-3 with seven minutes left. 

Two minutes later (65th) Tengku Aad Tajuddin Tg Jalil dived for a fine deflection goal and Malaysia were 4-3 up.

Three minutes from full-time Smith made a courageous run-in from the left channel and Hykes’ reverse-stick snapshot cannoned into the near post and stayed out. 

Then with eight seconds left Taine Paton made a courageous incursion from the same channel and got off a shot, which Hykes deflected into the net for a 4-4 draw and a series win for SA with one to play.SA went into the match with Jacques le Roux the starting keeper, number one goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse on the bench and Gowan Jones sitting this one out. 

Vice-captain Rhett Halkett and fellow defender Ashlin Freddy, who both missed the first two Test matches due to injury, returned; Tim Drummond was still injured; Clint Panther was back after writing university exams on Saturday and his older brother, Brandon Panther, a new cap on Saturday, was rested, as was Nick Gonsalves. The Malaysia line-up remained much the same.

Paton brothers give SA hockey men thrilling victory over Malaysia

Malaysia were defeated 2-1 by South Africa in tyheir opening Test Match. In wake of the failure of \MHC to provide any details for the match, efforts were made to contact a friend based there. He was kind enough to send me the South African HA Press Re;ease and pictures as well. If only MHC will do the same.

Below are the personal observations of George Brink who runs the informative www.fieldhockey.com website. A gentle reminder to the media friens. you can lift the story and picture but please credit the original author and not write as if ypu were there in person. That is responsible journalism.

"The big difference between the teams last night was Malaysia left a big gap between the midfield and the forward line and SA filled that gap every time Malaysia tried to hit through it. When they worked the ball through that gap they gave SA a whole lot of problems. There was always someone waiting for a tap in pass and only great keeping from Rassie Pieterse kept them out. MAS had 4 shots on goal and scored once. Austin Smith for South Africa had 5 shots on goal all by himself and missed every time. SA just couldn't get anything on target last night. It was embarrassing to watch it was so bad. Had they been on target the scoreline would have been very different and Malaysia would have been on the wrong end of a hammering." - George Brink www.fieldhockey.com

Paton brothers give SA hockey men thrilling victory over Malaysia

JONATHAN COOK

in Potchefstroom

Missed chances in the first half cost the South Africa men’s hockey team dearly as Malaysia scored 30 seconds from half-time (35^th minute) through a clinical finish by Marhan Jalil to take a 1-0 lead into the second half at the University of North West Hockey Centre in Potchefstroom Thursday, but goals in the 59^thminute by Wade Paton and the winner 17 seconds from the end (70^th minute) by his younger brother Taine Paton earned SA a thrilling victory in the first of the four-Test series.

SA deserved the win as they won six penalty corner to two against and got in more goal shots from field play, but on another day the spoils could have gone Malaysia’s way. Both goalkeepers were superb, with Rassie Pieterse in particular keeping his side in the game at key moments.

The pulsating encounter makes the second and third Test matches both at 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday at the same venue, an enticing prospect.

After early Malaysian possession, Julian Hykes won a turnover 30 metres out and fed Craig Haley, the SA striker getting in a backhand shot that keeper Rozlan Jamaluddin  parried away.

Then in the right-hand corner, attacking halfback  Lance Louw took a self-pass free-hit and slipped the ball to striker Miguel da Graca, who won a penalty corner – Jonty Robinson injected the set-piece, Tim Drummond trapped the ball and captain Austin Smith’s low drag-flick whistled past the near post.

Two minutes later, in the seventh, Clint Panther layed off a great square pass to Jonty Robinson who had time, but fired his shot past the far post. At the other end Malaysia’s first foray into the strike zone was cleared by defender Francois Pretorius.

The pace settled somewhat and Malaysia made another inroad into the danger zone before a midfield tussle for possession ensued over the next 15 minutes.

Into the second quarter, two superb moments of individual flair by Hykes led to another Robinson pressure shot that the keeper blocked successfully before SA stopper Pieterse cut off the danger at the opposite end.

The tide began to turn a little as Malaysia found their feet leading towards half-time but SA debutant Taylor Dart made a confident start, while striker Pierre de Voux was only thwarted by a superb tackle before Abdul Sukri made an electrifying burst down the left wing that SA did well to stop.

With 30 seconds left Pieterse blocked Nabil Fitri’s shot from close but it was desperate for SA after all their good work as Jalil buried the rebound into the backboard for 1-0 at half-time.

SA started the second half same as the first and Da Graca’s lunging effort was followed by a vociferous appeal for a goal before SA’s second PC saw the ball slipped left to Wade Paton but keeper Jamaluddin had its measure.

SA continued to stretch the Malaysians to breaking point and Da Graca twice came agonisingly close before Pretorius suffered the same fate, while Hykes appealed in vain for a PC after another great ball by Panther. Malaysia hit back when Izwan Firrdavs and Azami Adabi combined superbly only for Pieterse to save and Smith to clear as the high pace of the game took on new meaning.

Midway through the second half Faizal Saari and then Sukri fired Malaysia’s first two PC’s at Pieterse who saved brilliantly with glove and then stick while postman Jethro Eustice also did a superb job.

Da Graca again came within a whisker as Jamaluddin got in the way before SA won their fourth PC with 11 minutes left on the clock (59^th) and this time Wade Paton on the slip-pass left was not to be denied (1-1).

SA came straight back and the on-fire Hykes duped the Malaysian defence with pace and ball control to win his team’s fifth PC, which led to a sixth – but Smith’s drag-flick off the top of the castle again whistled past the post, this time with height.

With three minutes left (67^th) Malaysia won their second PC but SA first-wave defender Jonty Robinson got out of the starting blocks fast enough to deflect the rocket shot away from danger. SA broke out of defence and Taine Paton nailed the winner with 17 seconds to full-time for South Africa’s memorable 2-1 victory.

The second Test is at 3 pm Saturday with the third Test at 3 pm Sunday, both at UNW, while the fourth and final Test is at 7 pm at Randburg on Tuesday.

A LOSING START

The "sickness" of conceding goals in the closing stages has returned to haunt the Malaysian hockey team as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat in the opening Test Match against hosts South Africa today.

Malaysia led 1-0 via a goal by Marhan Jalil who scored minutes before halftime.

More details later....