Sarawak prevail over Brunei in men’s hockey *copy paste from Brunei Times*

ZULKIFLEE ZAINAL called on his players to be more focused after losing to Sarawak 4-2 last night in the men’s division of the 3rd Borneo Games.
The national hockey head coach saw his team surrender a 1-0 lead in the dying seconds of the first half at the National Hockey Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas, and though Brunei equalised early in the second half, a loss of concentration saw them let in two goals in the space of three minutes.
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Though they controlled most of the first half and created a few opportunities, the defending champions were unable to make the most of their chances and were made to pay with a goal from the influential Christnal Michael Jieng after the whistle had blown.
The other match saw Brunei’s women’s team lose to Sabah 3-0.
“We played a very good game but we were unlucky that we did not score in the first half,” said Zulkiflee after the men’s match. “Control, possession, time inside the D (scoring area) We had it all, just not the finishing. Letting in those goals, maybe they lost focus for a bit.”
“They must know how to control the tempo …. Hold the ball, play it fast, slow it down,” he added.
He did take some positives out of the match though, saying he was impressed with the determination of a few players — especially striker Hafizi Hashim who played despite twisting his right ankle on Sunday.
“I was not happy because he is a key player and he was injured. But you can see that the spirit to do whatever it takes is there, and we need to try and get more players like these in the team. If they want to play, they must know that they need this kind of attitude,” said Zulkiflee, who used to coach Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division powerhouses Ernst & Young HC.
Hafizi created Brunei’s best chance in the first half when he went one on one against Sarawak’s goalkeeper after receiving a pass on the left flank in the opening minute. The shotstopper was up to the challenge though, coming off his line to clear the danger, with Ak Hj Firdaus Pg Hj Ahmad also unsuccessful with the rebound.
The team opted to use their speed on the flanks in the first half and was constantly trying to get the ball to Hafizi and Ak Hj Firdaus.
Sarawak got into the game mid-way through the half and used a more direct route, hitting the ball into the scoring area and hoping for a deflection.
The Hornbills were dominating towards the end of the half and found the opener when Christnal scored during a penalty corner.
The hosts started the second half strongly and were rewarded five minutes after the restart, when with his back to the net, Muhammad Zikri Jauhari redirected a pass into goal to make it 1-1.
It was the only goal from open play, with the rest all coming from penalty corners. Brunei tried to add to their advantage after that but found it hard to break down Sarawak.
The competition takes a break today and will resume tomorrow with Sarawak facing Sabah in the men’s category at 4:30pm. The same teams face each other in the women’s category at 7:30.
The national women’s team meet Sarawak on Thursday at 4:30pm, with the last match of the pitting Brunei against Sabah in the men’s category at 4pm on Friday. The Brunei Times

copy paste from BRUNEI TIMES

SARAWAK’S fluid passing and teamwork paved the way for a 4-0 win over Brunei in the final of the women’s hockey competition of the 3rd Borneo Games yesterday.
Overall champions after beating Sabah 5-2 on Wednesday, it is now a hat-trick of titles for Sarawak after capturing the inaugural Games in Sabah in 2005 and in Sarawak in 2007.
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Forced to defend for most of the 70 minutes at the National Hockey Stadium at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex, the Bruneians hardly threatened and trailed 2-0 at the half-time break.
They might have been second best but Brunei’s gusty performance impressed Sarawak’s coach.
“We had 17 penalty corners and we only scored on one, so that is a new record for us, “said Siva Subramaniam.
“I think they defended very well and their coach has done a good job. They were once nowhere but now you can see they are going up very well. Our aim was always to win the competition and we expected a tough fight from Brunei and Sabah, which we got. But the standard of this year’s competition is a bit lower than two years ago,” said the coach.
Sarawak had three Malaysian national players within its ranks, one of them Fazilla Sylvester Silin who controlled the team’s tempo. Distributing the ball well, she was the creative spark for many of Sarawak’s attacks.
The visitors found their first goal in the ninth minute through Tuahkati Thadeus who dribbled inside the scoring area and unleashed a powerful shot. It was 2-0 in the 22nd minute when Tuahkati scored her second, with Brunei remaining on the back foot until the half-time whistle.
Despite the defeat, the Brunei head coach Zulkiflee Zainal was upbeat about the result. “I think we defended very well and the players all followed instructions. For me, the score does not matter. We can see we have improved a lot at this level (Borneo Games) and we have to work for the future.”
Looking forward to today’s final match in the men’s division where Brunei plays Sabah, Zulkiflee is confident his team can bounce back from their 4-2 loss to Sarawak on Monday.
Sabah’s 2-2 draw with Sarawak on Wednesday means that Brunei must win today’s match if they want to finish second.
“I think we have an even chance of winning silver, but there is no choice, we have to beat Sabah,” insisted Zulkiflee. “We are not looking lightly on Sabah and I feel that the team which has the least mistakes and can control their mental game will win.”
The match is set at 4:00pm. The Brunei Times.

*back to work*

im in the office doing nothing until i remember i own a blog!!!hahahah....the BORNEO GAMES is over and Brunei won the Bronze...okay lah..better than nada pa2...but then im back to work!!!!!aaaarrrggghhhh...boreng jua!!!hhhmm.....lesson plan..blah..blah..blah...bah coach..centralize g eeyyhhh..hahahahah...

here i would like to say Big 'THANK YOU' to all the URUSETIA for the 3rd Borneo Games BSB they are all nice 2 us...and all the sponsors!!!!!!thank u aahhh..love Kasut ADIDAS aahhh....heheh....and our stay 8 Orchid Garden Hotel was lovely!!!the food was amazing..oncew again THNK U for pampering us.....=)

To our coaches and managers..once again Terima Kasih Banyak2...there's no word to describe what you all have given us...Coach Zul,Coach Brandai,Coach Ornah,Uncle Hassan,Uncle Karim and our sporting LO Uncle Kani.....

i miss Brunei team already!!!='(