Sparks will fly as favourites vie for Under-16 hockey supremacy

KUALA LUMPUR: Five different boys’ teams have won the MHCMilo Under-16 hockey championship in the last five years.

Kuala Lumpur won in 2012, Perak in 2013, Selangor in 2014, Pahang in 2015 and Terengganu last year.

So, who will it be when the championship gets under way at the KL Hockey Stadium today?

These five teams will definitely be in the fray, as will be Sabah, Johor, Penang and Malacca.

Kuala Lumpur, who actually dominated the early years when they won the title from 2008-2012, believe they on course to regaining past glory.

“Our target, like the rest, is also to win the boys’ Under-16 title,” said KL team manager P. Silvaraj.

“It’s true that we have been out of the title mix for some years now, but that just goes to show you the strides others have made over the years.

“I think we can regain the title. But it’s going to be tough to even get through the group stage as we have Pahang, Sabah and Kelantan for company.”

Pahang are also in high spirits as they seek to ride on the momentum of their Under-14 team’s victory last year.

Only seven players from last year’s Under-16 team are still in the side while the rest will comprise the Under-14 team who won the title last year.

Coach Mohd Soffian Mohd is confident they have enough experience to mount a title challenge.

“We will take it one game at a time and work towards our target of a top-three placing,” he said.

“I see Sabah, Terengganu, Perak and Selangor as potential spoilers to our ambition.”

Sabah have targeted themselves a top-two finish, having ended up third last year.

Sabah secretary Avtar Singh said that the team had been training in Malacca for the last one week.

“The third placing last year was our best in the series. We have practically the same team ... so, our expectations are higher this year,” he said.