THE NEW PAPER ON SUNDAY 19 June 2011 ●
Sports
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Under-18 Hockey Asia Cup FYI What: Boys Under-18 Asia Cup When: Until 26 June Where: Sengkang Hockey Stadium Group A: Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Brunei Group B: Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, China ■ FIXTURES Today: Malaysia v China (3pm), Pakistan v Brunei (5pm), Singapore v Kazakhstan (7pm) Tomorrow: Taiwan v Pakistan (5pm), Malaysia v South Korea (7pm) June 21: Kazakhstan v Brunei (5pm), Sri Lanka v China (7pm) June 22: Brunei v Taiwan (3pm), South Korea v China (5pm), Singapore v Pakistan (7pm) June 23: Sri Lanka v Malaysia (3pm), Pakistan v Kazakhstan (5pm), Taiwan v Singapore (7pm) June 25: Semi-finals (3.30pm and 5.30pm) June 26: Final (6pm)
RUNNING RIOT: Rahmat Abdul Jalil (far left) and Silas Abdul Razak Noor Shah (right, in red) both scored for Singapore. PICTURE: STRAITS TIMES
No stopping Singapore Hockey boys hand Brunei a 12-0 thumping DILENJIT SINGH dilen@sph.com.sg
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HEY clicked into top gear for just over half the match, but it was enough for Singapore to win by a delightful dozen. The hosts opened their accounts in the Boys’ Under-18 Asia Cup at Sengkang Hockey Stadium yesterday with a 12-0 rout of Brunei, the joint-biggest win of the night. Said coach Solomon Casoojee: “I’m happy with the result. We started out well in the first half, but then the intensity dropped. “We got it (the intensity) back at the start of the second half, but then it dropped again. “We were consistent for around 40 minutes of the 70 – the first 20 minutes of the first half and the first 20 minutes of the second.” Singapore blitzed Brunei in the Group A tie with five goals in 13 minutes with goals from Rahmat Abdul Jalil, Haseef Salim, Hidayat Mat Rahim, Silas Abdul Razak Noor Shah and Karleef Sasi Abdullah.
Neat flick The pick of the bunch came from Karleef who finished off some intricate build-up play from the left with a neat flick. With more than three quarters of the match left to play, it looked like the hosts would easily trump Taiwan’s 12-0 win over Kazakhstan on a night of thumpings. But then came the drought.
The Bruneians barricaded themselves in their own half and Singapore struggled to find a breakthrough, going goalless for the rest of the half. The second half mirrored the first with a flurry of goals coming in the first 21 minutes before the match tapered off again. While Singapore’s goals were concentrated at the start of both halves, their scorers were more evenly spread. Silas, Rahmat and Nur Ashriq Ferdaus Zul’kepli all bagged braces with six other players in total also getting on the scoresheet. They included Al’fien Amir and Ashraff Alias.
After the match, Brunei coach Awang Berandai Dadong singled out Nur Ashriq as the star of the match. He noted: “No. 6 (Nur Ashriq) organised his team well and showed good leadership.” Nur Ashriq shrugged aside the plaudits, giving his performance a relatively modest seven out 10. He added: “There’s a lot of room for improvement, but it’s good to get the engine started. “I think it’s a good sign that the goals were spread out.”
■ TICKETS: Daily tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students (11 to 16 years old). Season tickets are $60 for all. Children below 10 enter for free. Buy tickets outside the stadium or online at http://singaporehockey.org /asia18/
Next up for Singapore are Kazakhstan, another team which let in a dozen on the opening day of the tournament. But the boys aren’t taking the match lightly. Said captain Silas: “We have to be more consistent and play at the same tempo for the whole match. “We also missed a few penalty corners, so we have to work on our creations and conversions.” In another match, South Korea beat Sri Lanka 8-0 in Group B.
Lee provides mental edge AT PERIODIC intervals of the match between Singapore and Brunei, he urged from the touchline, “the same routine, the same routine, breathe.” But Chris Lee, 57 was not a member of the coaching staff of the Singapore hockey team playing their opener in the Boys Under-18 Asia Cup at Sengkang Hockey Stadium yesterday. He is a mental skills trainer. The routine he was talking about involves players visualising the execution of penalty corners in their minds before the ball even reaches their sticks. And the regulation of breathing is part of this process. Explained Lee (above): “It’s important to
breathe and centre yourself to visualise the path of the ball before the action itself.” A former national karate exponent who represented Singapore at the 1993 SEA Games, Lee is currently the mental skills trainer of the national women’s softball team. He contacted national hockey coach Solomon Casoojee in the lead-up to the Asia Cup, offering his services free of charge. So what does Lee actually do? “I help mentally prepare teams to handle competition objectives by managing their emotions. “For example, I teach them how to visualise actions (like the execution of penalty corners), use positive imagery and manage mistakes so they don’t dwell on them.” But for Casoojee, Lee brings more than
mental management skills. Said the national coach: “He brings a vibrant energy. He’s a motivator and that’s good, because in my role I have to be stern with the boys so it’s a good complement.” He added: “His skills are especially useful for a young group like this. During matches, I task him to monitor anxiety levels while I concentrate on the tactical side. “It’s lightened my workload by 25 to 30 per cent.” National Under-18 international Nur Ashriq Ferdaus Zul’kepli believes having Lee on board gives him and his teammates a mental edge. He said: “Chris makes a huge difference. We don’t usually get mental training but now we’re not just physically fit, we’re mentally fit also.” – DILENJIT SINGH