Malaysia: Sapura Retains League Title, TNB's Lights Snuffed Out By E&Y
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| Malaysia |
August 26, 2005 
Bernama
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Sapura with ease brushed aside Sultan Ahmad Shah (SAS) of Pahang by a 3-0 margin to retain their Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) title at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium here Friday.
Sapura took the lead through South Korean import, Kang Keon Wook when he sent in a reverse stick hit that caught goalkeeper Khairul Nizam Ibrahim off guard in the 7th minute.
After the first goal, Sapura pressed forward and strengthened their lead when Jiwa Mohan found the net in the 21st minute off a penalty corner set piece move.
The second half saw debutants SAS in control of the game, staging attack after attack to stun Sapura into a draw but it was Sapura who found their third goal when Jiwa hammered in a pass from P. Prabahkaran from the top of the "D" in the 61st minute to seal the game.
"I think we were able to retain the league title because we were consistent with our play. We only had one hiccup through out the league but we were able to overcome it fast.
"We hope for the double after this but it is going to be difficult, but we will try very hard," said coach Tai Beng Hai.
In another match at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil here, Ernst and Young (E&Y) had a tough battle but managed to edge out Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) for a 4-3 win.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil was the hero for E&Y. Scoring a hatrik, he was on target in the 15th, 19th and 39th minutes, while Pakistani import Muhammad Sarwar clinched the winner in the 52nd minute.
TNB goals were scored by Tajol Rosli, Mohamad Madzli Ikmar and Norazaln Bakar in the 17th, 35th and 70th minute respectively.
Meanwhile, Telekom Malaysia hammered Dolphins 8-2, while Maybank beat Bank Simpanan Nasional 2-1 at the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium.
In Sungai Petani, Royal Malaysian Regiment (RMR) secured a slim 2-1 win over PISC Nur-Insafi.
Eight teams concluded their MHL round one league today, while, E&Y and PISC Nur Insafi will conclude theirs Saturday.
The top five teams will automatically qualify to the quarter-finals. The six other teams will be involved in play-offs to decide the other three berths.
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