TNB Thunderbolts scripted the biggest upset in the 2017 TNBMHL Premier League following a 7-3 win over Maybank at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School ground in Bandar Penawar today.
An all-local outfit, the 2016 Division One champions who gained promotion to the Premier League this season, scored this sensational victory with double strikes from Muhammad Amirol Hamizan (10th and 19th minutes) and 17-year-old Muhammad Akhimullah Anuar Esook (56th and 58th minutes) whilst Muhammad Hazzim Amin Hafidz (7th), Muhammad Azrai Aizad (32nd) and Muhammad Saifuddin Nazli (44th) added to Maybank’s woes.
Maybank, led by six foreign players but without a single national player in the side, opened scoring in the second minute through Amirullah Zainol and Mohd Zulhairi Hashim netted a brace (14th and 25th minutes) but that was as far as the Tigers went before Thunderbolts bounced back into the game.
Thunderbolts head coach, Nor Saiful Zaini praised his boys for playing exceptionally well against a professional opposition that is buoyed by the presence of foreign players.
“My boys have shown maturity in their match against Maybank. This is the kind of performance I have always wanted from the players who are all students,” said Nur Saiful. “This win has boosted their confidence level when playing against the top guns and I hope we will be able to carry on the momentum in our remaining matches.”
Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) posted their fifth consecutive win in the TNBMHL 2017 Premier League following a 3-0 victory over Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) at the Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium to stay on top of the pool with 16 points – two clear of Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club.
Argentinian Nicholas Enrique Della Torre fired THT ahead with a seventh minute field goal and Korean Jang Jonghyun doubled the advantage in the 31st minute via a penalty corner to mark his ninth goal in the league whilst former international Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abd Jalil closed the door on UniKL with the third goal in the 52nd minute from similar fashion.
Speaking after the win, THT head coach Sarjit Singh, said: “We started the match on a slow pace and gradually picked up momentum. My players are tired as they have been travelling a lot in the past one week for matches. Today we did not start Faizal Saari in the first 11 and yet managed to get an early lead.”
UniKL head coach, Arul Selvaraj, observed: “We made some poor decisions when having possession and at the same time made mistakes in defending. Two of the three goals we conceded were from penalty corners and this is one aspect we need to spend more time to rectify.
“We played two of the top teams in the league consecutively and lost to both but I see positive signs as we were not outclassed. We are realistic as THT is a class team and this defeat will not worry us as it gives us an opportunity to make the necessary improvements.”
In Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club clawed back from a goal down to hold Tenaga Nasional Berhad to a 2-2 draw at the KLHA Stadium.
Muhammad Zulhamizan Awang Abas scored a 17th minute field goal to give TNB the lead but KLHC equalized going into the end of the first half via Muhammad Noor Faeez before TNB shot 2-1 ahead from a Norhizzat Sumantri field goal.
However, with three minutes remaining in the match, TNB came under a barrage of counter attacks and Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof equalized for KLHA to share points.
In the last match of the day, Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School and Universiti Teknologi MARA-KPT played to a 2-2 draw in Bandar Penawar. It was the first drawn match for both teams in the Premier League after suffering five consecutive defeats.
TNB maintained third position in the table standings with 13 points followed by UniKL (12), Maybank (6), TNB Thunderbolts (6) whilst UITM-KPT and SSTMI have one point each.
Results – Premier League: Terengganu Hockey Team 3 Universiti Kuala Lumpur 0; Tenaga Nasional Berhad 2 Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club 2; TNB Thunderbolts 7 Maybank 3; SSTMI 2 UiTM-KPT 2.
Fixtures – Division 1 (2 February, 2017): Nurinsafi Hockey v UPM-KPT (Sg Petani, 4.00pm); MBPJ v Johor (MBPJ Stadium, 5.00pm); RMAF Rajawali v Bukit Jalil Sports School (RMAF Base Subang, 5.00pm); Police v Politeknik Malaysia-KPT (Tun Razak Stadium, 7.00pm).
Women League: Blue Warriors v SSTMI (5.00pm); Terengganu Ladies Hockey Team v Kulim (Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium, 5.00pm); PKS-Uniten-KPT v Johor Baru District Hockey Association (KPM Hockey Stadium, 5.00pm).