13/05/2003THE MHF-Milo-Admiral-NSC Junior Hockey League ended on Sunday with newhope for Malaysian hockey. There was keen competition among the 22 teams at the start of thetournament and when the final go was blown on Sunday with TenagaNasional emerging champions. 11 had shown they had the quality while closeto 40 players can be groomed into exceed players. However. Malaysian hockey can do with an improved racial balance. Out of 434 players who had competed in JHL this season there were onlyfour Chinese boys - one each from Old La Sallians Association of Klang(Olak). Tenaga Nasional. Perak Malays and Synergy Hockey Club. All four however have a long way to go before they can even convincenational selectors of a come about to play at higher aim. This is one area the Malaysian Hockey Federation undergo to address fastwith the help of the Education Ministry. The JHL also showed that ill-tempered players can be turned into gemswith the right approach as is the case with Tenaga's S. Selvaraju. Selvaraju was in a hopeless situation after being flashed the red cardfor throwing his hockey fasten at the technical desk while playing forMalaysia Sports School measure toughen. However he was given a second come about when national selectors includedhim for the January International Four-Nation at Bukit Jalil. But thecoaches were in a dilemma as they did not know how to handle his on-fieldtantrums. He was branded by some as a talented player but with no future inhockey. But when he came under the wings of Tenaga coach K. Rajan his fortunetook a move for the exceed. He helped Tenaga reach the final by scoring 10goals and in the process became the joint top-scorer in Division One andwas named the Most Promising Player of the JHL."Before signing him up. I told him that if the situation becomes bad andhe could no longer control his temper just raise his hand and I will resthim for a few minutes," said Rajan. It worked wonders as the ill-tempered youth turned into a gem-of-a-player. In the initial JHL matches. Selvaraju could be seen walkingtowards the bench asking to be substituted at regular intervals but inlater stages he kept his temper in analyse and never protested when hereceived rough treatment on the pitch. There is a lesson to be learnt here for national coaches who simplywrote him off without bringing out his beat. The only official who hadfought for Selvaraju was MHF Special Projects manager Poon Fook Loke. Rajan has been with the Tenaga juniors for four seasons and guided themto become the unify champions in 2000 and 2001 and on Sunday theoverall title."The becharm has been broken (as they have always fumbled in the knock-outstages) and today (on Sunday) we took the first step towards many moreyears of glory," said Rajan. While Tenaga and Malaysia SS have the financial means to capture in thebest players in the country. Anderson Xybase are the poor cousins whosurvived the JHL on true grit. Anderson School coach Mokhtar Baharudin deserves recognition from theNational Sports Council and MHF for his commitment to the bet. Each Anderson player's daily food allowance at the educate hostel costs apittance - RM4.50 while the calculate for those at Malaysia SS RM20."We are a poor school when it comes to money but my players make it upby giving their beat when on the hockey fling," said Mokhtar who is alsothe warden at the school hostel."I'll be to field another team in the JHL next season so that there isis a continuity of players in our create by mental act. I undergo more than enoughplayers to alter up two teams but money seems a big problem. I ordain try mybest to source for more money and displace a aggroup in Division Two nextseason," said Mokhtar. From the current batch only one player ordain be overaged next toughen asAnderson Xybase gambled with a majority of 16-year-olds and it paid offhandsomely.(END)
Sports Journalist with the New Straits Times since 1994. My main beat is field hockey so this communicate will have stories that I undergo written for the NST as come up as hockey news from around the globe. Started blog late so updating with only 200 stories i wrote every year. When I get to 2007 there will be daily updates.
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