Malacca Hurricanes aim to impress once again

KUALA LUMPUR, (19 May, 2016): Defending champions Malacca will go into the TNB Razak Cup 2016 with an eye of capturing the title for the fourth time in the 54 years history of the nation’s marquee event from May 21-29 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

‘Malacca Hurricanes’, as they are better known, won the Razak Cup in 2005, repeated the feat in 2009 and defeated Perak 1-0 in the 2015 final for their third title. They open their Division One campaign against Pahang on Saturday which also sees Johor taking on Royal Malaysian Police Force.

Hurricanes captain, B. Namasivayam, said: “Our target is to qualify for the semi-finals and we will focus on one game at a time. There are no easy matches as every team is geared up strongly for the Razak Cup.”

“The Police team is also in our group and we are certainly expecting tough matches ahead. We will do our very best and are prepared for challengers ahead,” added Namasivayam.

Police finished as Division Two champions last season and will be out to prove their mettle in Group A. However, the cops are expected to be strong upfront with the services of national senior team captain and drag-flick specialist Razie Rahim and Nabil Fiqri who have joined the force as trainee inspectors.

Kuala Lumpur, the 19-time Razak Cup champions, are drawn in Group B alongside Perak who are back-to-back champions in 2013 and 2014, Terengganu and former winners Negeri Sembilan.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad senior general-manager of corporate affairs and communications, Datuk Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Amin, said: “TNB is a cooperate partner of MHC and we are equally keen to build a strong league which will help the national team in the long run.”

“Our support is to ensure that the local leagues are held constantly without disruptions. TNB also plays a major role in the development of the game at the grassroots level such as National Junior League. This is all for the progress of our standard of hockey,” he added.
In Division Two, Selangor, Perlis, Kedah and Penang are in Group A while Kelantan, Sarawak, Sabah and Armed Forces are in Group B.

The prize money for Division One is RM10,000 for the champion, RM7,000 for runner-up and RM5,000 for finishing third. Division Two winner gets RM5,000, runners-up RM3,000 and third-placed team RM2,000.

The 54th edition of the TNB Tun Razak Cup 2016 will also, for the first time, feature the women’s league since the inception of the tournament in 1963 following the decision of the Executive Board of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation to give due recognition to women’s hockey.

A total of 12 state teams alongside Royal Malaysian Police and Armed Forces will compete in the inaugural women’s league, bringing the total number of teams to 14 divided into three groups.  Only Kelantan and Perlis have opted not to participate in the tournament.
Pahang, Sarawak, Police, Johor and Selangor are placed in Group A followed by Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Armed Forces, Terengganu and Sabah in Group B. Malacca, Perak, Penang and Kedah are drawn in Group C.

The women’s league champions will receive RM5,000, runners-up RM3,000 and RM2,000 for finishing third.

FIXTURES – 21 MAY (SATURDAY)

Men’s Division 1 – Group A: Malacca v Pahang (8pm, Pitch 1); Johor v Police (8pm, Pitch 2).
Division 2 – Group A: Selangor v Kedah (4pm, Pitch 1); Perlis v Penang (4pm, Pitch 2); Group B: Kelantan v Sarawak (6pm, Pitch 1) ; Armed Forces v Sabah (6pm, Pitch 2).
Women’s Division – Group A: Sarawak v Selangor (7.30am, Pitch 1); Police v Johor (7.30am, Pitch 2); Group B: Negri Sembilan v Sabah (9.30am, Pitch 1); Armed Forces v Terengganu (9.30am, Pitch 2). All matches at National Hockey Stadium.

Release by ShekhinahPR on behalf of Malaysian Hockey Confederation, for further information kindly contact: –

Fazil Mahmud
+6016 2782759