: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , June 14, 2010 Elephants could be the surprise package COMMENT By Jugjet Singh SOUTH Africa has been a hunting ground for fierce predators for millions of years , and when I went there in 2002 to report on the second Champions Challenge hockey tournament , the fear factor was no longer on the plains , but ingrained in the . city The first sign to greet Malaysian journalists in the hotel room was frank and read : Welcome to South Africa . And now that we are done with the pleasantries , here is the truth : Don’t bring anyone who you befriend into this room because if you are lucky you will be left with only your underwear when you wake up . And if you are unlucky , you will go home with AIDS . 8221 It sent alarm bells buzzing like the irritating: , skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , June 14, 2010 Hit them hard , says MHF THE Malaysian Hockey Federation MHF views Kelantan’s attempt to cheat at the Malaysian Sports Schools MSSM Girls Under-12 hockey tournament as an identity fraud , and feels stern action should be taken against those respon . sible On Saturday , The Kelantan Under-12 girls team had beaten Kuala Lumpur 4-1 in the MSSM finals , but were then stripped of the title when they were found to have registered an overage player with documents of another . girl MHF vice-president Datuk Dr S.S . Cheema said even though it is a schools tournament , but it is still sanctioned by the MHF and stern action should be take against those . responsible The organisers did the right thing by giving KL the title even though Kelantan: skip to main skip to sidebar Sunday , June 13, 2010 USA tame three lions of England England's Robert Green insists he has the mental strength to bounce back from his . error AMERICA the brave and a television glitch ruined the World Cup party for England last night . The USA held Fabio Capello’s team to a 1-1 draw while millions missed England’s opening goal because ITV screened a car advert on its HD screens . instead The Americans , who had been staying at a lodge in the bush normally reserved for tourists on safari , refused to be thrown to England’s three . lions A goal from Steve Gerrard , who took over as captain from the injured Rio Ferdinand , after four minutes , semed to suggest the Americans were in for a . mauling Their goal in reply , kicked by Clint Dempsey and rolling: skip to main skip to sidebar Saturday , June 12, 2010 Kelantan Under-12 Girls stripped for cheating KELANTAN received a slap on the face when they were stripped of their Malaysian Sports Schools Girls’ Under-12 hockey title at the Kuala Lumpur HA Stadium . yesterday Kelantan had beaten Kuala Lumpur 4-1 in the final , but they were disqualified from the tournament after KL lodged a report that they had fielded an over-aged . player In the centre of controversy was Wan Norhidayah Wan Helmi , who was alleged to have registered using another girls Identity . Card KL were awarded the title in default , and it took their total haul to three crowns in the . tournament In the Boys Under-12 KL beat Terengganu 2-1, while in the Boys Under-18 KL beat Perak 3-0. The only title that slipped from KL’s: skip to main skip to sidebar Friday , June 11, 2010 Facts that Figure the World Cup FIFA's first World Cup trophy , the Jules Rimet Trophy , was permanently awarded to Brazil after they won their third world title in 1970. It was later stolen and was never seen . again The trophy had already been stolen before when it was taken from an exhibition prior to the 1966 World cup final in England . A dog called Pickles later found it under a . bush The current FIFA World Cup trophy remains in the permanent possession of FIFA . The winning association receives a replica until the next tournament but this is only” gold . plated Red and yellow cards were not introduced until 1970, although cautions and dismissals were previously listed in reports . The first player to be sent off was Peru’s: skip to main skip to sidebar Friday , June 11, 2010 Watch World Cup at Olympic Hotel By Ajitpal Singh Olympic Sports Hotel is a treasure trove for all World Cup . fans The sports-themed hotel , located at Wisma OCM in Kuala Lumpur , is displaying authentic sporting memorabilia and some reproduction world cup . items Among the items on display are the autographed jerseys from Argentina’s Osvaldo Ardiles , Brazil’s Ronaldo , Ger many’s Jürgen Klinsmann and also a pair of gloves signed by decorated goalkeeper Oliver . Kahn Hotel director Ow Soon Kooi said the items have been on display for the past three . weeks A friend of mine brought up this idea about three months ago . We decided then on decorating the hotel with World Cup memorabilia in conjunction with the World Cup , 8221 said Soon: skip to main skip to sidebar Friday , June 11, 2010 Tragic start to World Cup JOHANNESBURG : The death of Nelson Mandela’s great-granddaughter cast a shadow over the opening day of the World Cup on Friday , dampening the spirits of a nation proud and excited to be hosting the world’s most popular sporting . event Zenani Mandela , 13, was killed in a car accident on the way home from a World Cup concert in Soweto on Thursday night , where tens of thousands of people had sung and danced with headline music stars Shakira and the Black Eyed . Peas On Friday morning , streets in downtown Johannesburg were filled with cars and pedestrians waving South African flags and blowing vuvuzela trumpets as news that one of Mandela’s nine great grandchildren had died was . emerging Heavy security was: skip to main skip to sidebar Thursday , June 10, 2010 Argentina wins Miss World Cup Jennifer Scherman is posing during the Miss World Cup 2010 contest on Friday evening , June 4, 2010, in Rust , southern Germany . The 17-years-old student representing Argentina won against 31 other . competitors Posted by Jugjet Singh at 7:38 PM Labels : SOCCER Newer Post Older Post Home RESPECTABLE LINKS OLYMPIC HOTEL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE S.S Dhaliwal on Hockey HOCKEY ASIA ASIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION Sikh Hockey Olympians The Home of Hockey FIH Irish Hockey News Stephen Francis TV SMITH Sikhnet New Straits Times The Star Kuala Lumpur I PISS ON . Hockey News Loading . HORSING AROUND The Blogger ON A HIGH The Blogger at the top of the 4,095m Mount Kinabalu in Sabah on June 13, 2008. This was the second climb : skip to main skip to sidebar Thursday , June 10, 2010 Journalists robbed at World Cup BEIJING , June 10, 2010 AFP An armed gang stole money and a camera from four Chinese journalists in South Africa to cover the World Cup , state media reported . Thursday Several men attacked the journalists when their car stopped on the side of the road as they returned to Johannesburg after an interview , the reports . said The thieves made off with a small amount of cash and a camera worth about 1,500 dollars , the Beijing News . said When you go out , you have to be careful , put all your valuables in the boot and no matter what happens , don’t open the windows , 8221 one of the journalists was quoted as . saying The paper said it was also trying to confirm a report that a Beijing journalist was: skip to main skip to sidebar Thursday , June 10, 2010 Malaysia out of Club World Cup MALAYSIA blew their chances of playing in the Club World Cup in Barcelona next year when Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club KLHC lost 2-0 to Wapada of Pakistan in the final of the Asian Clubs Championships in Sri Lanka . yesterday KLHC held the Pakistan side 2-2 in the pool match , but let in one goal in each half in the . final The Malaysian side did not win a single penalty corner in 70 minutes , and officials claim they were robbed of three penalty . strokes Posted by Jugjet Singh at 8:16 PM Labels : HOCKEY Newer Post Older Post Home RESPECTABLE LINKS OLYMPIC HOTEL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE S.S Dhaliwal on Hockey HOCKEY ASIA ASIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION Sikh Hockey Olympians The Home of Hockey FIH Irish Hockey News: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 31, 2010 JHL a top-heavy success THE Junior Hockey League JHL was a top-heavy success , while the middle class and Division Two teams were a total . flop The Bukit Jalil and Bandar Penawar Sports Schools senior sides , UniKL and Petaling Jaya City Council had put in much effort and to a certain degree , promising players could be spotted in their . outfits However , the rest of the Division One teams were a yawn to watch , and the majority of their players did not even have the basics right . yet The top three Division Two teams Sabah , Pahang and Ipoh City Council in that order looked comfortable beating their peers with impressive margins , but when given a chance to play in the quarter-finals against Division One teams , none of them: , skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 31, 2010 UniKL a perfect venue to play , study and work UniKL coach I . Vickneswaran with his . charges By Jugjet Singh COMMENT UNIKL Universiti Kuala Lumpur is here to stay , and with a strong backing from their Chancellor , hockey players now have another dedicated club to play , study and work . for UniKL spent half a million this season playing in the Malaysia Hockey League MHL and the Junior Hockey League JHL and with Malaysian Hockey Federation MHF president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah as their Chancellor , the sky seems to be the . limit In their MHL debut UniKL , with an average age of 21, finished at the bottom of the six-team pool in the Premier Division . But in the quarter-finals , they held Maybank 3-3 in the first leg , but: skip to main skip to sidebar Sunday , May 30, 2010 UniKL zap Thunderbolt UNIKL shocked favourites Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt 2-1 to be crowned the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League Overall champions at the Tun Razak Stadium . yesterday Runners-up in the league , UniKL showed great composure to wait for the right moments to mount counter attacks , and it was their second giant killing feat after beating Bukit Jalil Sports School in the . semi-finals UniKL received RM20,000 while runners-up Thunderbolt RM10,000. It was a super display from my players , and a coach can't ask for more from his players who finished runners-up in the League and Overall champions in their first JHL season itselt , said UniKL coach I . . Vickneswaran Thunderbolt coach Wan Roslan Rahman was: skip to main skip to sidebar Saturday , May 29, 2010 Thunderbolt set to strike second time UNIKL supporters at the KLHA . Stadium JUNIOR Hockey League newcomers UniKL know what it feels like to finish second best , and that is why their players are not ready for to preform an encore in the Overall title fight at the Tun Razak Stadium . today UniKL were were leading 1-0, and were 30 seconds from lifting the League title , when Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt dashed their dream by scoring the equaliser , and snatching the trophy on a better goals . average Today , both the teams will lock horns again in what is expected to be a thriller finale to the Under-19 . league Playing in the semi-finals was an achievement for this new outfit , but my boys rose to the challenge and beat one: skip to main skip to sidebar Friday , May 28, 2010 Thunderbolt-UniKL final LEAGUE champions Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt came back from the dead before they beat Petaling Jaya City Council 5-3 in a highly charged MHF-Milo-NSC Junor Hockey League semi-final . yesterday In the other semi-finals , UniKL beat Bukit Jalil Sports School 2-1 and will play Thunderbolt for the Overall title . tomorrow Thunderbolt were leading 3-1 by the 48th minute , but lost their composure when PJCC scored two quick goals to . equalise However , the comeback was marred when PJCC goalkeeper Ahmad Syahir ran towards umpire Rosdi Pilus and manhandled him in the 65th minute , prompting the umpire to flash the red . card Ahmad had to be restrained by his own players and was escorted out of the pitch ,: skip to main skip to sidebar Thursday , May 27, 2010 PJCC advance on sudden-death goal PETALING Jaya City Council nailed a sudden-death goal , after being tied 2 2, against Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors to book their spot in the semi-finals of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junor Hockey . League PJCC had the match in hand when they took a 2-0 lead , but crumbled in the second half by allowing BPSS Juniors to score the equaliser three seconds from time at the Tun Razak . Stadium PJCC will meet Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt , while Bukit Jalil Sports School will play UniKL in the semi-finals today at the Tun Razak . Stadium My forwards have been consistently bungling sitters since the JHL started and today yesterday was no different . However , I saw a slight change in my players as: skip to main skip to sidebar Wednesday , May 26, 2010 UniKL v BJSS on level field LAST season's double champions Bukit Jalil Sports School BJSS will get a second chance to salvage some pride when thy square off against UniKL in the semi-finals of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League on . Friday The other semi-final will be between Bandar Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt and the winners of the delayed quarter-finals between Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors and Petaling Jaya City Council . today The fixtures were re-drawn to acommodate BPSS Juniors as six of their players only returned last night from a German Under-16 Four-Nation where Malaysia finished . second BJSS , who beat Sabah 4-0 even without four Under-16 boys who were in Germany , will start on level terms against UniKL as: skip to main skip to sidebar Tuesday , May 25, 2010 Thunderbolt hammer 9 past Ipoh BANDAR Penawar Sports School Thunderbolt , as expected , steamrolled Ipoh City Council 9-1 in the quarter-finals of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League at the Tun Razak Stadium . yesterday Thunderbolt will have to wait until Thursday to find out their opponents in the semi-finals , because the quarter-finals between Petaling Jaya City Council and Bandar Penawar Sports School Juniors had to be delayed to wait for six BPSS boys who went to Germany for a . Four-Nation In the other Quarter-finals yesterday , Bukit Jalil Sports School beat Sabah 4-0, while UniKL beat Pahang 4-2. Bukit Jali will meet UniKL in the semi-finals on . Friday The Bukit Jalil hero was Kavin Kartik who scored a hat-rick in the 16th ,: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 24, 2010 Sure death in Commonwealth Games By Ajitpal Singh MALAYSIA have been drawn in the Group of Death' for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games men's hockey competition . The team are in Pool A alongside world champions Australia , India , Pakistan and . Scotland England , New Zealand , Canada , South Africa and Trinidad Tobago make up Pool B for the event scheduled to be played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Oct 4-14. The Malaysian Hockey Federation MHF has said that the New Delhi Commonwealth Games should be treated as nothing more than a build-up towards the Guangzhou Asian Games Nov 12-27 where the gold medallist earns a place in the 2010 London Olympic . Games National coach Stephen van Huizen picked a pool of 30 trainees early: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 24, 2010 Sabah are Division Two champs DEBUTANTS Sabah emerged Division Two champions of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior League when they beat Penang Frees 4-1 at the Pandamaran Hockey Stadium in Klang . yesterday Sabah opened accounts in the fifth minute through Eldon Lemery before Harmesh Singh added a second in the 25th . Dick Chany Waili scored in the 50th minute to make it 3-0 but Penang reduced the deficit in the 58th minute through Mohd Shafirul Mohd . Noor Ahmad Kafeel Ahmad Rashidi added the fourth three minutes from time to ensure Sabah the title and the winner's cash prize of RM7,000. Sabah and Pahang finished on 21 points but the former won the title on goal . difference The victory is a morale booster for the Sabah players ahead of next: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 24, 2010 Under-16 boys upset Dutch THE national Under-16 team created a major upset in the Mannheim Four-Nation Championship when they edged favourites the Netherlands 4-3 in their opening match in Germany on . Saturday Malaysia were down 2-0 after 14 minutes before Shahril Saabah reduced the deficit off a penalty corner conversion in the 16th . minute Eight minutes later , Muhd Azrul Hasbullah converted a penalty corner set-piece to level . proceedings In the second half , Malaysia pinned their opponents in their half and were rewarded with another penalty corner set-piece goal by Mohd Soffian Kamaruddin in the 38th . minute The Dutch fought back and found the equaliser in the 51st minute before Muhd Azrul scored the winner for Malaysia seven: . skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 24, 2010 Lucky break for Ryder . PERKS COME WITH WINNING . Ryder Hesjedal of Canada and riding for Garmin-Transitions celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win Stage Eight of the 2010 Tour of California on May 23, 2010 in Westlake Village , California . Phot by . AFP Posted by Jugjet Singh at 11:34 AM Labels : CYCLING Newer Post Older Post Home RESPECTABLE LINKS OLYMPIC HOTEL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE S.S Dhaliwal on Hockey HOCKEY ASIA ASIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION Sikh Hockey Olympians The Home of Hockey FIH Irish Hockey News Stephen Francis TV SMITH Sikhnet New Straits Times The Star Kuala Lumpur I PISS ON . Hockey News Loading . HORSING AROUND The Blogger ON A HIGH The Blogger at the top of the 4,095m Mount Kinabalu in Sabah on June 13, 2008.: skip to main skip to sidebar Monday , May 24, 2010 They don't make teachers like Cikgu Siva anymore COMMENT By Jugjet Singh THE don’t make teachers like V . Sivapathasundram any . more Cikgu Siva , as he was fondly called , died on Sunday at the age of 68, leaving behind a hockey legacy which will be hard to match by others in Tunku Besar Secondary School TBSS in Tampin , Negri . Sembilan I know it for a fact , as I played for him in the Under-15 and Under-18 squads in TBSS , where I studied from 1981 to 1987. Siva joined TBSS in 1963, after graduating from Brinsford in the United Kingdom , and stayed put for the next 32 years until his retirement , making the store-room next to the school field as his second . home His room’ only had a squeaky fan , an old type-writer and a can full of: skip to main skip to sidebar Friday , May 21, 2010 Thunderbolt strike paydirt BANDAR Penawar Sports School-Thunderbolt snatched the MHF-Milo-NSC Division One title from the grips of newcomers UniKL when they scored the equaliser with 30 seconds remaining in the . match The title-battle ended 1-1, but Thunderbolt had 22 points from eight matches , while UniKL had only 20 to . show It was the first Division One League title for Bandar Penawar , who made their debut in 2004. I can't ask for more from my players , as we controlled the match but just failed to score . It was a great show from my boys , who trained for only one month , against a sports school outfit , said UniKL coach I . . Vickneswaran Thunderbolt coach Wan Roslan Rahman said : We only came to live in the last five minutes ,