Nor Hidayah back with a bang after one-year absence

KUALA LUMPUR: You can’t keep a good player down for long.

Former international Nor Hidayah Ahmad Bokhari (pic) showed she was made of sterner stuff with a remarkable comeback at the Razak Cup hockey tournament after being out of action for a year due to injuries. She broke two fingers on her left hand and also injured her knee in a motorcycle accident on the way to teach at the Bandar Kinrara School last October.

The 28-year-old has been on fire in the local tourney as she scored six goals in four matches to help Selangor qualify for the semi-finals by emerging top in Group A yesterday.

Selangor drew 3-3 with Police in the opening match before they beat Melaka 2-1 and Singapore 3-1.

Nor Hidayah, who quit the national team in February last year after representing Malaysia since 2008, said it took her three months to recover from the injuries.

“Despite the accident, I never gave up on making a comeback as I love playing hockey. I was adamant to play in the domestic tournament and nothing could stop me,” said Nor Hidayah, who has played for Malaysia in 80 tournaments in nine years.

“I last played in the National Women’s League in June last year and helped Police finish as league runners-up. Despite the long layoff, I still have the scoring touch and was delighted to score goals in all four group matches.

“I must thank Selangor for giving me a chance to play in the Razak Cup and I hope to repay their faith by taking the team to final,” added Nor Hidayah, who is currently the top scorer in the tournament.

She played for Perak in the Razak Cup twice in 2015 and 2016 but missed the tournament last year due to the accident.