MATCH NO.12: INDIA- MALAYSIA


India gained revenge for their Asian Games semifinal defeat at the hands of Malaysia by

defeating the hosts 5-2 at the Sultan azlan shah Cup in Ipoh.

It was indeed a note worthy performance by the Indians who raced to a 3-0 lead within the

first 22 minutes.

And although Malaysia lifted their game in the second half, their failure to convert the

chances created put paid to their hopes of salvaging at least a draw.

India took the lead against the run of play. Skipper Arjun Halappa went on a jinxing run on

the left and played the ball square.

Though Malaysian defender Bajlit Singh got a stick to it, he failed to trap the ball thus

allowing Roshan Minz to tap into an unguarded goal to put India 1-0 ahead.

India weathered the Malaysian onslaught and hit back with deadly precision.

Ravipal sent in a long pass towards the Malaysian goal and though S. Kumar stopped the

initial attempt by Mandeep Antil, he failed to stop the Indian player from scoring off the

rebound. And India was in the driving seat, 2-0 up after 18 minutes.

And it got worse for the Malaysians when India was awarded their first penalty corner in the

22nd minute. Up stepped Rupinder Pal Singh to send his flick sailing high into the Malaysian

goal. It was his fifth goal of the tournament and the hosts were 3-0 down in the opening 22

minutes.

Muhammad Azammi Adabi reduced the deficit to 3-1 in the 34th minute but no sooner had the

cheers from the home fans died down that India struck for the fourth time as Sunil Sowmarpet

scored in the 35th minute. India led 4-1 at halftime.

Malaysia went on the offensive early in the second half and were duly rewarded as Mohd

Shahrun Nabil scored their second in the 43rd minute to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

Izwan Firdaus was the culprit in the 46th minute as he made a fine run down the right flank

but opted to try for goal when the better option was to square the ball to Faisal Saari who

was unmarked.

India was then reduced to 10 men as Saravanjit Singh saw yellow in the 48th minute.

Izwan was then presented with another goal scoring opportunity after being put through by

Faisal Saari in the 52nd minute but could nt get the better of Indian custodian Bharat Kumar

Chetri.

Malaysia was dealt a blow in the 57th minute as Mohd Razie Rahim was shown the yellow card

for a rash tackle.

The hosts were awarded two penalty corners in the 63rd and 65th minutes, but Bharat denied

Razie on both occassions.

Antil scored in the dying seconds to give India a comprehensive 5-2 win.

MATCH NO.11: GREAT BRITAIN- NEW ZEALAND


Great Britain moved to the top of the table in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup when they defeated

New Zealand 3-1 in Ipoh this evening.

It was a masterful display from the Great Britain side that is now on nine points after four

matches. They had defeated Malaysia 3-1 in the opening match last Thursday but were beaten

1-3 by India. And yesterday they got the better of Pakistan 3-2.

Great Britain was the more patient team in the match, opting to attack when openings were

presented instead of moving upfield.

With skipper Glenn Kirkham and fellow defender Alastair Wislon holding the fort, chances

were few in between for the Kiwis.

New Zealand was awarded a penalty corner in the 10th minute but Andrew Hayward failed to

find the target.

Great Britain took the lead in the 14th minute as his flick found its way past the

despairing dive of New Zealand keeper Kyle Pontifex.

The second goal was cleverly worked out by Great Britain. Off their second penalty corner in

the 51st minute, Mantell played a relatively slow shot into the diving Pontifex and pusher

Jonathan Clarke had the easy task of picking up the rebound and slotting it into the empty

net.

Four minutes later Great Britain was 3-0 up, courtesy of a thunderous hit by Richard

Alexander from the top of the semi circle.

New Zealand reduced the deficit in the 60th minute when Shay Neal scored to make it 3-1. But

they ran out time to rescue anything from the match as Great Britain netted the crucial

three points.

MATCH NO.10:AUSTRALIA-PAKISTAN


Australia defeated Pakistan 5-1 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match played in Ipoh on Monday.

The defeat, Pakistan’s second in successive days, having been beaten 3-2 by Great Britain on

Sunday, meant that they lost their top spot in the standings.

It was a high paced match with both teams opting to play open hockey. And Australia did well

to take their chances, registering a comprehensive 5-1 win

Australia almost drew first blood when Jason Wilson was put through by Glenn Turner in the

third minute only to see keeper Imran Shah denying him of a goal.

Next it was the turn of Jacob Whetton to be denied by Imran after he was put though by Simon

Orchard in the 6th minute.

Australia took the lead through a questionable penalty stroke awarded by umpire Martin

Madden of Great Britain in the 23rd minute. Simon Orchard sent Imran the wrong way to give

Australia a 1-0 lead.

Pakistan drew level in the 28th minute when Sohail converted a penalty corner.

But poor defending by Pakistan allowed Jason Wilson to collect the ball at the top of the

circle and pick his spot to send the ball crashing past Imran to give Australia a 2-1 lead a

minute before the halftime hooter.

Pakistan forced a penalty corner a minute upon the resumption of the match but this time

Bazeley denied Sohail.

But it was Australia who found the net as Orchard ghosted into the semi circle and unleashed

an unstoppable shot that had Imran beaten all the way in the 41st minute. Australia 3

Pakistan 1.

And by the time Christopher Ciriello converted a penalty corner in the 51st minute, Pakistan

were truly beaten.

Wilson made in 5-1 in the 55th minute tapping in after being given the simplest of the task

by Turner who squared the ball to him with the defence caught flatfooted.

DAY 3:

MATCH NO.9:NEW ZEALAND – KOREA

New Zealand and South Korea played to a 1-1 draw in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match tonight.

It was a fair result for both teams in what was a drab affair with most of the play centered

in the midfield with goal scoring chances few in between.

For New Zealand the point would have been a welcome relief after their 2-4 opening match

defeat at the hands of Pakistan on Thursday.

As for Korea, the point was valuable given that they are level on points with India and

Australia, all three with four points as Great Britain and Pakistan lead the table with six

points.

Korea were awarded a penalty corner in the 8th minute but despite having time, Yoon Sung

Hoon sent his attempt sailing over the cross bar.

New Zealand was awarded their first penalty corner in the 18th minute. But Jang Jong Hyun

was at the right place at the right time to send Andrew Hayward’s attempt around the post.

The Black Sticks came close yet again in the 21st minute but Blair Hilton sent his shot into

the upright despite keeper Myung Ho out of position.

At the break both teams trooped off with honours even.

The breakthrough finally came in the 50th minute when Benjamin Collier scored from a cross

on the left by Nicolas Wilson.

But the Koreans were undeterred and used the flanks to stretch the Kiwi defence. And from

one such foray they were awarded a penalty corner in the 58th minute from which Jang Jong

Hyun drew his team level with a low flick.

New Zealand was then reduced to 10 men as Blair Hilton was yellow carded in the 59th minute

but Korea could not capitalize on the numerical advantage.

MATCH NO.8:GREAT BRITAIN – PAKISTAN

Three years ago at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Robert Moore scored against Pakistan in Great

Britain’s 4-2 win.

And he was on the mark yet again, scoring the opening goal as Great Britain inflicted the

first defeat on Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.

Great Britain defeated Pakistan 3-2 in an entertaining clash that had the fans at the edge

of their seats.

Britain took the lead in the eight minute when the attempt by Moore crossed the line despite

Waqas Akhbar attempting to clear it off the line.

Shakeel Abbasi missed a sitter in the 24th minute when a simple tap would have sufficed to

beat Britain keeper Nicholas Brothers.

At the other end, Simon Mantell came close to connecting a cross from James Tindall with

Imran Shah beaten at the far post in the 25th minute.

Pakistan finally got the breakthrough in the 31st minute as Sohail Abbas sent his penalty

corner drag flick past a diving Brothers.

Britain started off strongly once again in the second half and Jonathan Clarke put them 2-1

ahead in the 39th minute.

Pakistan almost equalized two minutes later when Rehan Butt’s attempt beat the keeper but

was cleared off the goal-line by Adam Dixon.

Clarke scored Britain’s third in the 63rd minute but Pakistan pulled one back in the very

next minute via Abdul Hassem Khan to set up a grandstand finish.

But with Sohail failing to find the mark from Pakistan’s fourth penalty corner in the 67th

minute, Great Britain walked off relieved and with three points in the bag.

MATCH NO.7:INDIA – AUSTRALIA


India held reigning world champions Australia to a 1-1 draw at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

tournament today.

It was a commendable result given the fact that Australia dominated proceedings but failed

to make use of the chances that they created.

Australia created to early opportunities in the opening minutes. First it was Glenn Turner

who picked up a loose clearance by India’s Rupinder Pal Singh in the 4th minute but saw his

shot saved by Adrian D’Souza.

And two minutes later Jacob Whetton missed from six yards out, sending the ball over the bar

with only Adrian to beat.

The opening goal eventually came in the 14th minute through Whetton who cut in from the left

and put the ball past Adrian.

India was presented a golden opportunity to draw level in the 19th minute when skipper Arjun

Halappa put Shivendra Singh through. But he failed to get the batter of Australia custodian

George Bazeley.

The equalizer came in the 23rd minute via Rupinder Pal Singh who converted India’s first

penalty corner of the match with a low drag flick on Bazeley’s right.

Though Australia were awarded three penalty corners in the first half, they failed to get a

singe shot on target, perhaps affected by the fast drying pitch.

The Aussies, led by Turner, Simon Orchard and Jason Wilson were the early aggressors,

closing down on the Indian defenders fast, forcing them into making mistakes.

And Indian skipper Arjun Halappa gave away a penalty corner in the 40th minute but Adrian

pulled off a spectacular save from Brett Dancer’s drag flick.

Orchard had a chance to give Australia the lead in the 50th minute but failed to find the

target from six yards out.

DAY TWO: MATCH NO.6:AUSTRALIA – MALAYSIA


It was heartbreak for Malaysia as they were defeated 2-1 by Australia in the Azlan Shah Cup

match with only 35 seconds left on the clock.

Indeed it was a bitter pill to swallow as Malaysia led for much of the match only to concede

two goals in the final 11 minutes.

If there was one significant change that lifted the spirits of the Malaysian side, then it

had to be the inclusion of keeper S. Kumar who was outstanding in the match.

He denied Christopher Ciriello three times off penalty corners in the first half, pulling of

saves that were spectacular. And Kumar pulled off another fine save from the attempt of

Jason Wilson in the 19th minute.

Malaysia were awarded a penalty corner in the 6th minute but Mohd Razie Rahim sent his

attempt inches wide of the upright.

The hosts had another opportunity to go ahead through their second penalty corner in the

18th minute but Razie failed to execute the set piece properly and the chance was lost.

Australia were awarded a penalty corner in the 19th minute and Kumar once again denied

Ciriello, Off the quick counter attack, the ball was played to Mohd Azammi Adabi on the

right but he skied his shot with only the keeper to beat.

Malaysia however were not to be denied a goal and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin duly delivered in

the 23rd minute.

He turned Brent Dancer and unleashed a reverse stick hit that gave Andrew Charter in the

Aussie goal no chance whatsoever.

In the second half Faisal Saari had the chance to double Malaysia’s advantage but shot wide

in the 41st minute.

The Aussies had Malaysia pinned in defence for long periods in the second half but could not

turn the domination into goals.

A mistake by Mohd Madzli Ikmar, who gave the ball away present Australia with a chance to

draw level, and though Kumar saved the initial attempt from Glenn Turner, the rebound hit

Madzli on the face and umpire Ripudaman Sharma awarded a penalty stroke.

Simon Orchard sent Kumar diving the wrong way to draw Australia level from the spot in the

59th minute.

Malaysia were awarded a stroke in the 63rd minute when the attempt by Azlan Misron hit

Fergus Kavanagh on the leg. There was some confusion before umpire Martin Madden awarded the

stroke after consulting fellow umpire Ripudaman Sharma.

But Malaysia squandered the opportunity as Faisal Saari sent in a weak shot that was easily

saved by Andre Charter.

And they were duly punished by Jason Wilson who scored in the dying seconds of the match.

MATCH NO.5:INDIA – GREAT BRITAIN

India defeated Great Britain 3-1 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match in Ipoh this evening.

And they had Rupinder Pal Singh to thank for the win as he scored all the three goals via

penalty corners to ensure that India took the three points at stake.

The two teams had contrasting fortunes in the opening day. While Great Britain defeated

hosts Malaysia 3-1, India let slip a two-goal advantage and lost 2-3 to South Korea.

India knew that they had to get points on the board and thus raised their game while Great

Britain were their usual industrious type, hard running and tactical in nature.

But Great Britain were not their normal self in terms of performance, perhaps affected by

the hard match they endured against Malaysia the previous night.

In contrast India played a very intelligent game, slowing down the pace and controlling the

tempo, using the flanks to stretch the British defence.

India took the lead in the 10th minute when Rupinder Pal scored off a penalty corner.

A fine run by Gurbaj Singh on the right flank earned India their second penalty corner in

the 22nd minute but this time Rupinder failed to get his shot off after being laid up by

Dhananjay Mahadik.

Although Great Britain created chances, they were denied an equalizer by an outstanding

Bharat Chetri Kumar in the India goal.

Great Britain was awarded their fourth penalty corner and while Mantell beat Bharat this

time, Vikas Pillay was on hand to turn the ball around the post to save India.

Rupinder scored two penalty corners in the space of two minutes, in the 55th and 57th

minutes and Great Britain were a beaten side.

James Tindall reduced the deficit in the 62nd minute but this time India were not about to

let go off their two goal advantage

MATCH NO.4: PAKISTAN – SOUTH KOREA


Pakistan registered their second win in as many days in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with a

come from behind 4-2 win over South Korea.

Three goals in the final nine minutes gave Pakistan the full points. In their opening match

Pakistan had defeated New Zealand 4-2.

Korea had the first look at goal in the third minute as Kim Young Jin picked up a pass from

Jang Jong Hyun in the semi circle with defenders Muhammad Imran and Syed Kashif Shah caught

napping.

But Pakistani keeper Imran Shah was quick of the blocks to thwart Kim.

At the other end Muhammad Umar Bhutta came close in the sixth minute as he was a trifle slow

to connect a cross from the left by Muhammad Zubair.

Korea went ahead in the 14th minute when Kim Young Jin played a neat 1-2 with Jang Jong Hyun

before slotting it past a despairing Imran.

Though Pakistan were awarded two penalty corners in quick succession, in the 18th and 19th

minutes, both Sohail Abbas and Muhammad Imran could not find the mark.

However an uncharacteristic mistake in defence by the Koreans allowed Zubair to pick up the

ball before relaying it to Rehan Butt who sent in a reverse stick hit through the pads of

Korean custodian Lee Myung Ho and Pakistan were on level terms in the 21st minute.

But Korea went 2-1 ahead in the 46th minute when off another set piece from a penalty

corner, Young Jin scored.

The tide turned in the 61st minute when Sohail scored off a penalty corner. And two minutes

later he sent in a cross to Abdul Haseem Khan who made it 3-2 in favour of Pakistan.

Waqas Akbar made sure Pakistan got all three points scoring just ten seconds before time.

MATCH NO.3: MALAYSIA — GREAT BRITAIN


though Malaysia played gallantly, it was not enough to deny Great Britain a win in the

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match played in Ipoh tonight.

In the end Malaysia went down 1-3 to Great Britain and will face an uphill task in their

second match against Australia tomorrow.

Malaysia sprung a surprise, opting to play Roslan Jamaluddin in goals instead of S. Kumar.

In fact Kumar was not even on the bench as Malaysia opted for 15 outfield players.

It was all Great Britain in the opening five minutes as they had the Malaysians pinned in

their own half.

Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin was a shade unlucky in the seventh minute as he was slow in connecting

a cross from Faisal Saari from the right.

Malaysia were caught napping in defence in the ninth minute as Mohd Madzli Ikmar allowed an

arial ball past him and it was duly picked up by Simon Mantell who however sent his shot

wide with only Roslan to beat.

Britain took the lead in the 17th minute as James Tindall was the first to react to an

initial shot from Richard Mantell’s penalty corner to tuck the ball past Roslan.

And they could have scored more had Roslan not been in fine form to thwart the attempts from

Richard. Mathew Daly too was a shade unlucky as his deflection in the 27th minute beat

Roslan but not the upright.

Malaysia were awarded their second penalty corner in the 31st minute but Faisal Saari failed

to beat Fair in the British goal.

The constant pressure from Britain paid dividends as Richard Smith scored the second goal

just 35 seconds before the halftime hooter.

Britain led 2-0 at halftime.

Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin reduced the deficit in the 41st minute when his reverse stick hit gave

Fair no chance whatsoever.

Britain weathered the storm and against the run of play went 3-1 ahead through a neat

deflection from Robert Moore in the 51st minute.

And try as the hosts did, they were always a step behind.

MATCH NO.2:INDIA- SOUTH KOREA

South Korea recovered from a 2-0 deficit to defeat India 3-2 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

match in Ipoh on Thursday evening.

It was a remarkable performance by the Koreans as they fought every inch to defeat India who

had beaten them to the bronze medal at the Asian Games in November last year.

Korea forced a penalty corner in the 7th minute but failed to find the mark. And India then

woke up from their slumber to put together some good moves but they fizzled out before the

Koreans 25 yard line.

And in the 20th minute India struck. They were awarded a penalty corner and Diwikar Ram

squeezed his shot past a despairing Lee Myung Ho in the Korean goal. There was an element of

luck involved as the push was directed to Dhananjay Mahadik but he failed to stop cleanly

and played it to Diwikar.

All hell broke loose in the 24th minute as the Koreans claimed that their attempt off a

penalty corner had gone into goal but umpire Martin Madden of Great Britain ruled otherwise.

In the ensuing confrontation, Korea’s Lee Seung II and Jang Jong Hyun were shown the green

card for protesting and the team even walked off the pitch. But they soon returned as the

umpire stood firm.

But there was no question of luck for India’s second goal as Danish Mujaba unleashed an

unstoppable reverse stick hit in the 27th minute to give India a 2-0 lead.

However the Koreans were not to be denied as Cho Suk Hoon scored from an acute angle, his

flick going into the roof of the Indian net giving Adrian D’Souza no chance at all in the

31st minute.

And it took Korea just six minutes into the second half to draw level as Yoon Sung Hoon

scored after the initial penalty corner attempt by Nam Hyun Woo was saved.

In the 56th minute, India’s Vikram Pillay made a hash challenge on Korea’s Yoon Sung Hoon

and umpire David Tomlinson did not hesitate to award a penalty stroke which Jang Jong Hyun

duly tucked away to give Korea a 3-2 lead.

And Korea held on to register the win.

MATCH NO.1: PAKISTAN – NEW ZEALAND

Pakistan defeated New Zealand 4-2 in the opening match of the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in

Ipoh.

It ended a run of five consecutive defeats at the hands of the Kiwis for Pakistan and gave

them a good start to a tournament they hope to win.

Pakistan went on the offensive from the first whistle and came close to scoring in the

second minute, but Muhammad Umar Bhutta sent his attempt wide with only keeper Kyle Pontifex

to beat.

However Muhammad Rizwan Senior made his shot count in the third minute to give Pakistan a 1

-0 lead.

The Kiwis then got their act together but failed to get the better of the Pakistani defence

marshaled by skipper Muhammad Imran. With only Stephen Jenness showing some deft touches,

New Zealand failed to get a decent shot on goal in the opening 15 minutes.

Pakistan were awarded their first penalty corner in the 24th minute and although the pus out

was off the mark, Sohail Abbas managed to get a drag flick on target but was padded away by

Kyle only to see it fall onto the path of Syed Kashif Shah who made no mistake to put

Pakistan 2-0 ahead.

Though New Zealand were awarded two penalty corners at the stroke of half-time, they failed

to make them count and the two teams trooped off with Pakistan leading 2-0.

In the 40th minute Pakistan were awarded their third penalty corner and Sohail’s low drag

flick was well saved by Kyle yet again.

Pakistan went 3-0 up in the 51st minute when Abdul Haseem Khan managed to steer the ball

past Kyle after a fine run by Muhammad Waqas on the right.

However Andrew Hayward reduced the deficit by converting a penalty corner in the 59th

minute. But the joy was shortlived as Umar Bhutta put Pakistan 4-1 ahead in the 61st minute.

Though Hugo Inglis scored in the 63rd minute, the failure of New Zealand to take their

chances from the six penalty corners they were awarded put paid to their chances of gaining

anything from this match.