Anderson bid to bounce back

KUALA LUMPUR: Former powerhouse SMK Anderson of Perak are hoping to revive their fortunes at the Champions Schools hockey tournament starting in Kangar on Thursday.  The 10-time champions had their worse ever showing in the series when they were knocked out at the quarter-finals stage last year.

Before that, they were champions from 1992-1996 and then again from 2000-2004. In 1997 they did not make the grade as Perak’s representatives while in 1999 they lost in the final. There was no meet in 1998.

Coach Mokhtar Baharuddin said yesterday that Anderson face a tall order as they have a very young team who lacked experience.

“This team will need a couple of years to mature. Many of the older players have left us and we are now grooming a new set of players. In the past we have players coming through the ranks each year.

“But there was some problems last year and quite a number of players left the school due to disciplinary problems. So we had to make do with a very raw team,” he explained.

Mokhtar, who has been at the helm since 2000, said they will be able to bounce back by next year.

“I see this year as a means to expose the players and also to ensure we are competitive enough. Our initial target is a semi-final berth. We will take it from there.

“All the players in the team are eligible to play next year and I feel confident they will be a much improved side then,” he added.

He said the team would also be fielded in the Malaysia Junior Hockey League next year. Last year the team did badly in the MJHL and were relegated to Division Two.

“It does not matter as we will get back to the top division soon enough. We have already started on a new programme and I’m sure it will bear fruits in a year or two,” he said.

Malacca High School are the defending champions and they will be back to defend the title. The draw and fixtures for the tournament will be released today.

A total of 13 teams will take part in the seven-day meet and it is expected to be a four-group format with the top two teams qualifying for the knockout stage.

Source : TheStar.com.my

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