BJSS survive with late Syafiq goal against Thunderbolt

Kuala Lumpur (20 August, 2016): Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) defied all odds to hold TNB Thunderbolts to a 3-3 draw in this near heart-stopping TNBMHL Division One match at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium today.

Down 2-3 and starring at defeat with just one minute remaining on the board, Abdul Syafiq Abdul Razak nailed home a penalty corner that earned them this draw at the hooter.

BJSS had earlier taken a 2-0 lead by the second quarter with an Adam Daniel Ferozs field goal (24th) and Syafiq’s 27th minute penalty corner but TNB dictated terms after this and pulled away 3-2 with goals from Hazzim Amin Hafidz (35th), Muhammad Azrai Aizad (42nd) and Muhammad Akhimullah (54th), who scored his fifth goal in three matches.

Thunderbolt, the TNB development squad coached by Nor Saiful Zaini, drew 3-3 in their opening match against Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) and clawed Politeknik Malaysia 5-1 in the next. BJSS, however, were held to 1-1 draw by Politeknik Malaysia and was humbled 0-6 by the Johor-based SSTMI.

SSTMI moved to the top of the league standings with seven points following a 5-3 drubbing of Ipoh Municipal Council (MBI) at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) pulverized ATM Airod 6-1 at the Tun Razak Stadium to go second (6 points), MBI third (6), TNB Thunderbolt fourth (5) and Politeknik Malaysia in fifth spots (4).

Mohammad Syawal Najmi and Zulhamizan Awang Abas shot SSTMI ahead with goals in the 13th and 25th minutes but MBI closed the gap through Hairul Nizam Rani (27th) from a penalty corner and Haniff Mohamad Said equalised in similar fashion five minute before the end of the third quarter.
MBI, however, went on to grab a 3-2 lead in the 49th minute from Luqman Hakim field goal but a resilient SSTMI pressed hard ahead and their efforts paid dividends as Zulhamizan scored his second goal of the day in the very next minute and Sulaiman Abdul Razak knocked home a 54th minute penalty corner to take his side to the top of the chart.

Politeknik Malaysia also drew its best for a pulsating 4-0 victory over Nur Insafi with a brace from Mohammad Shazwi Rani (28th and 29th minutes) via field goals. Sufian Marsom had earlier given Politeknik a 17th minute lead from a penalty corner and Mohamad Zabad Rosly scored the fourth in the 50th minute off a field.

It was Politeknik’s first win in three matches following a 1-1 draw against BJSS and 1-5 thrashing by Thunderbolt. As for Nur Insafi, it was their second straight defeat in the tournament. The Penang outfit defeated ATM Airod 2-0 in their opening match and lost 2-3 against Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in the second.

While the Politeknik Malaysia men’s team was victorious in Johor Baru, the women went down 3-5 against PKS-Uniten-KPT who scored their first win in three matches at the Ministry of Education ground in Jalan Pantai.

In Sunday’s fixture, SSTMI will play ATM Pernama in the only women’s match of the day on home turf. The Blue Warriors (Royal Malaysian Police Force), lead the standings with nine points, SSTMI second with six and ATM Pernama a distance away on three points.

Results – Men’s Division 1: Politeknik Malaysia 4 Nur Insafi 0; TNB Thunderbolt 3 Bukit Jalil Sports School 3; SSTMI 5 Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh 3; ATM Airod 1 UiTM-KPT 6.
Women’s League – PKS-Uniten-KPT 5 Politeknik Malaysia 3.

Fixtures – Sunday (21 August, 2016):

Premier League – Kuala Lumpur HC v Sapura Hockey Club (KLHA Stadium, 6.0pm); Terengganu Hockey Team v Maybank (Stadium Hoki Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu, 5.30pm); Universiti Kuala Lumpur v Tenaga Nasional Berhad (KLHA Stadium, 8.0pm).

Men’s Division 1 – ATM Airod v Bukit Jalil Sports School (6.0pm), UITM v TNB Thunderbolt (8.0pm, both matches at KLHA Stadium); Politeknik Malaysia v Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, 5.0pm); SSTMI v Nur Insafi (SSTMI Pitch, 7.0pm).

Women’s League – SSTMI v ATM Pernama (SSTMI Pitch, 5.0pm).