Page 1 PLAY TO THE WHISTLE Volume 13 FROM THE DESK OF THE CHAIRMAN Individual Highlights 1. Chairman’s Address 2. TNBMHL 3. Interview with Hideki 4. Appointment 5. National Veterans 6. Umpire Cup The year 2019 saw an early season taking off for the Malaysian Hockey League. 7. SUKMA 2018 The league consisted of some very high quality matches and for the Umpiring part of it, only the selected ones officiated. The teams were no short of talent, 8. National U14 roping in foreigners in their lineups. The Umpiring team too, for the first time in the history of the MHL had a foreign flavor, namely Hideki Kinoshita of Japan Kino had a great stint and easily adapted to the Malaysian hospitality and was easy to communicate with. The local Umpires did benefit very much from Kino just as Kino benefitted from the Malaysian’s. With this successful “test” stint, the Umpiring Committee is now looking into the prospects of engaging with a couple more exchange programs with top playing Nations in terms of Umpiring. As for our Umpires, the UC is pleased to note the progress that has taken place leading to the appointments of our umpires in the top Pro League of the FIH and the many FIH and AHF appointments our umpires have received in the various tournaments around the globe. For all these achievements, the UC would like to thank the parent body; the Malaysian Hockey Confederation who has played a pertinent role with is utmost support towards this achievement. The Umpiring fraternity in return pledges its support to the MHC and will uphold with integrity its promise to improve further the standards of Umpiring. AMARJIT SINGH CHAIRMAN PLAY TO THE WHISTLE Page 2 By Eric Koh The race to glory in the men’s TNB Malaysia Hockey League 2019 began on the 3rd of January with 7 teams competing for the Piala Tan Sri P. Alagendra. Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) was the victor after defeating Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) in a closely contested final with a score of 2-1. It was an impressive result as TNB fielded only local players whereas THT had 6 guest players. Umpires in the game were Nazmi Kamarudin and K. Illango. Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) created history after topping the group stage with 11 wins, 1 draw and walked away with the men’s Malaysia Hockey League 2019 title for the first time since they were formed 9 years ago. In the overall title (TNB Cup), UniKL came close to winning a double but fell short in the final to THT with a score of 1-2. Umpires in the game were Eric Koh and R. Anbanathan. The women’s competition began on the 10th of January with a total of 6 local teams and 1 guest team, Liaoning Infinite Space HC of China. A total 69 group matches were played and Terengganu Ladies emerged top of the table with 10 wins, 2 losses and walked away with the women’s TNB Malaysia Hockey League 2019 title. In the overall title (Vivian Soars Cup), due to inclement weather, Terengganu Ladies and Liaoning Infinite Space HC were declared joint champions. Umpires in the game were M. Palani Kumar and Ahmad Nazirul. A big thank you to all 33 umpires that made this competition a success. Kudos! Page 3 PLAY TO THE WHISTLE Special Feature By Iskandar Rashdan The 2019 TNBMHL had a guest in the form of a Japanese Umpire, Hideki Kinoshita. The 28 years old FIH Advancement Panel umpire took 3 months off from his job for a stint in Malaysia, umpiring the MHL and learning English. He capped off his stay with an appearance in the 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament representing Japan as an umpire. The crew managed to get Kino, as he is fondly known for a chat. PTTW: Kino, tell us more about yourself……. Kino: I am known as Kino. My occupation is a real estate agent in Yokohama. I have been an International umpire since 2016. I got my upgrade to International Advancement Panel after the 2018 Four (4) nations tournament in New Zealand. The highlight of my career was the 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda, the Netherlands. PTTW: How did you manage to get this stint in Malaysia? Kino: There is an understanding between Japan Hockey Association and Malaysian Hockey Confederation on umpiring exchange program. Amarjit, Chairman of the MHC Umpires Committee, was in Japan for the In the women’s tournament, a total of National Championship last December. He witnessed my umpiring and was impressed with my performance. nine (9) teams competed in a 2-pool He offered me to come to Malaysia for the MHL and I worked out the necessary arrangements and took the challenge. division. There were nine umpires involved led by P Nallasamy (PDRM) PTTW: Tell us about your experience in Malaysia. as the Umpires Manager. From the nine umpires involved, five of them were Kino: Apart from MHL, I also took the opportunity to enroll for English classes. It has been a busy 3 months for female umpires. me as I am also appointed for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh. The MHL and some friendly matches kept me on my toes. The weather is challenging for me as it is colder back home. I find Malaysians very friendly and helpful. They really assisted me in the three months that I spent in Malaysia. PTTW: You had a stint in the Dutch League and then in Malaysia. How do you find the difference in terms of the game? Kino: The environment of course! In the Hoofdklasse, after the match, usually, we will gather at the club house with umpires, coaches and players for a drink and healthy discussions. We discuss about the game and other hockey aspects of the match which can be very good for further improvements. There are also no Technical Officials during the match! We had to manage almost everything, from time to scoring records! Umpires are called referees by the Dutch. In Malaysia, the facilities are good. But the hockey season is quite short for a National league. I also feel the opportunity for umpires to regularly umpire at the higher level is quite limited. In Holland, they have 3 divisions at national level and many more divisions at regional level. But I feel the level of Malaysian umpires in general, is technically higher level than in Japan. PLAY TO THE WHISTLE Page 4 PTTW: What is your plan upon returning to Japan after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup? Kino: I have loads of pending work to do with my job. The Japanese League will start in May and I will be busy travelling across Japan again. PTTW: Any advice or kind words to our Malaysian Umpiring colleagues? Kino: I had a really good time in Malaysia. I really appreciate the chance to umpire in the TNBMHL. There are many good umpires in Malaysia and I am really inspired seeing their level of umpiring. I wish them all the success in the future. PTTW: We thank you for your time with us. It is an honor to have you umpiring here. We wish you the best for your quest to the Tokyo Olympics. Kino: You are welcome. Page 5 PLAY TO THE WHISTLE 2019 Umpires International Appointments January – June FIH Pro League – Eric Koh & R Anbananthan March Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – Iskandar Rashdan Rusli April Hockey Series Final, Kuala Lumpur – K Ilanggo June Hockey Series Final, La Touquet – Nazmi Kamarudin Tournament Highlights 2018 National Veterans Tournament 22-25 November 2018 By Ahmad Nazirul Berhaumiddin The National Veteran Tournament was held in National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil. For the 29 matches played, 9 umpires officiated in the tournaments. The composition of umpires for this tournament was made by the combination of senior and junior umpires. The group of umpires was managed by P Nallasamy ( PDRM ), officiated by FIH umpires, Norhisham Shaari (KL), Nor Azhar Abiddin (ATM), P Puvalagan (ATM), K Lingam (SEL), MHC Class 1 Umpires Ahmad Nazirul (KEL), Fakaruddin Azies (ATM), Roslisalam (ATM) and MHC Class 2 umpire Navind Raj (SEL). We congratulate the umpiring team for a job well done!! c PLAY TO THE WHISTLE Page 6 2018 Umpires Cup By K Ilanggo The 2018 Umpires Cup was held in Penang. This time around, only three teams participated namely ATM, Penang and Johor. ATM won the tournament while Penang finished runners-up. The half day event was attended by all UC members and the day ended with lunch hosted by Penang HA. Hopefully more teams will participate for the event in 2019. Page 7 PLAY TO THE WHISTLE SUKMA 2018 By Ahmad Nazirul Berhaumiddin Once again in Ipoh, Perak hosted the 19th Malaysian Games (SUKMA). The Hockey events in the men’s and women’s category were held from the 11th to 22nd September 2018 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium. Hockey itself had brought together over hundreds of players, officials and sports enthusiasts from all over Malaysia for an exciting 10 days of competition. Twenty five (25) umpires were appointed for this tournament and led by Umpires Managers, K Kanaisan and Ahmad Fahlawi to manage and guide the umpires. Overall, the umpiring team or known as the “third team” had done very well. We appreciate all their effort and sacrifices to serve hockey. To the umpires, we look forward to you to perform better in the tournaments to come. Page 8 PLAY TO THE WHISTLE National Under 14 2018 By Ayu Malina Zainuddin The National Under 14 Boys and Girls Hockey Tournament was held in Bukit Jalil Hockey Stadium from 1st - 9th December 2018.