MHL Update: Awful weekend for Sapura
The Sapura team, which was the overall runner up in the last edition of the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL), has failed to deliver performance in the ongoing league. It was quite shocking and awful weekend for the Sapura squad, which has had eleven international
players in its side.
Sapura received two humiliating victories by the hands of Kula Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Nur Insafi by 2-6 and 2-3 respectively in the premier division of the MHL. The results have not only shaken the team’s followers but also the coach and the players
as well.
The Sapura squad started the hockey league with a good spirit and thrashed Armed Forces-Airod with 6-2, the title holder of the Division One of the MHL’s last edition. But it could not sustain the victorious tone and lost the next two games in the second
phase.
The coach, I. Vicknesweran was feeling that the players of Sapura played above the average but unluckily they could not mark a victory in the Premier Division. He further said that Sapura should have to acquire at least one game in the second phase in order
to maintain their point’s level in the league.
Vicknesweran in a disappointing state said, “I can understand if we played badly or did not have experienced players in our ranks. We also had control of the match at some point and had the chances to get the goals. But the finishing was just not there.”
Three of the top short corner masters are playing for the Sapura side in the MHL including Lee Woo Geun of South Korea, Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin and the skipper S. Kuhan. They are considered among the top drag-flickers in the league.
Apart from those, Rehan Butt and Jiwa Mohan are also part of the team, who both are legendary forward players and had marked goals on significant occasions in order to acquire the victory for their teams. But unluckily they also could not deliver outstanding
results in the Premier Division.
Sapura’s coach maintained that he wondered what was happened in the last week and they lost both the competitions. He further added that they would have to find out the reasons as soon as possible as they could not bear any more defeat in the league.
The recent edition of the MHL is very competitive for all the teams, which are combination of foreign and local players, adding the coach said that they would have to regain their fitness level and overcome mistakes if they want to comeback in the league.
In the next round, Sapura will face University Kuala Lumpur (UniKl) and Yayasan Negeri (YNS), the overall title holder of the MHL’s last version.
The coach further stated that Pakistani star; Rehan Butt would be positioned at forward line seconded by domestic players in the future games in order to make the attacking line more effective. Butt is very skilful and mature attacker and hopefully free-hand
game will assist him to mark the goals, he added.
Vicknesweran said, “We also must also get the players to work as a team and not indulge too much on individual play. It is also important that we improve on our penalty corners and finishing and also the defensive areas.”
Among the famous names in the Sapura side including foreigners are: Mohd Rodzhanizam B Mat Radzi, Mohammad Noor Khairul Azrain B. Adnan, Vizayan Maniam, Muhammad Marhan Bin Mohd Jalil, Ahmad Kazamirul B Nasruddin, Lim Woo Geun, Redzuan B Ponirin, Jiwa Mohan,
Rehan Butt, Mohd Nasihin Nubli B. Ibrahim, Mohammad Faisal Bin Kamarudin, Izwan Firdaus, Joel Samuel Van Huizen, Mohamad Razi B Mohamad Ismail, Jivan Mohan, Azreen Rizal Bin Nasir, David James Kettle, Mohd Faizal Bin Md Daud, Norhanfpe B Omar, Muhammad Izzat
B Mohd Rahim, Craig Joseph Fernandez and Kuhan Shanmuganathan.