New Class Of Talent

KUALA LUMPUR: It did not come as a surprise when Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) won the double in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Under-19 category on Sunday.

That they managed to do it with players who are below the age of 17 demonstrate the efficiency of their development programmes as they have dominated the junior scene since winning the junior league title in 2003.

They have won the league title six times and the overall title five times.

Bright future: Bandar Penawar's Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim (left) is among the new talent who came through the U-19 competition.

This year they had greater opposition in terms of numbers. Usually it is Tenaga Nasional that push them in the title run-ups but this year teams like Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS), Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Anderson and MSN Malacca offered tough matches.

BPSS would be the team to watch in future. They were unbeaten and only lost out in the overall final on penalties to BJSS.

Their coach Wan Mohamed Roslan said that the experience gained this year will push them to work harder next year.

“We came close on both fronts this year. Only BJSS were better than us. Even then we had beaten them 4-0 in the preliminary rounds. We are disappointed at not winning at least one title this year.

“The way I see it the difference was the experience BJSS had in playing at this stage. This is the first final for us but it should see a start of better things to come,” he added.

Overall there are many talented players coming through the ranks, like BPSS striker Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, the best player and top scorer of the tournament.

It is good that members of the National Juniors did not play as this allowed the others to shine. Many teams used players under the age of 16 and this augurs well for the future.

But the biggest lesson that the other contenders can learn from the sports schools is that they need a longer and more sustained development programme to make an impact. Short term training may yield limited results, hence the inconsistency of teams like Anderson, Tenaga, MBPJ and MSN Malacca.

The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF), on their part, should review their stand to merge the junior league with the senior edition.

It does not make sense to scrap the Malaysia Junior Hockey league when the current Division Two and Three are basically that in another name.

“The glamour of being the MJHL champions is taken away. Nobody bothers about Division Two league winners. I seriously believe that the MJHL should be reinstated,” said BJSS coach S. Prakash.