MALAYSIAN SUCCESS STORY: PART I

From nuclear Bunker to bumper harvest, mega start in Malacca

Malaysian hockey is making waves. For good, it is silent. The public in Johor Bahru last year end, and now in Malacca – where for the first time an international tournament, Junior Asia Cup, is being held – have seen it all.

The Malaysian mass who are more obsessed with ‘alien’ football rather than home sports, of late is turning their heads towards a bunch of boys, who in three year’s time have become darling of the nation.

We are talking about Malaysian hockey’s Juniors.

They are turning out to be the toast of a new and fresh set of people whom they fetch to the ground, for once on their own, because they are seen to be a winning, crack outfit.

If a team beats well entrenched traditional giants like India and Pakistan – and even neo power Australia – the nation takes note of them.

First time a top notch event of Junior Asia Cup comes to Malaysia’s World Heritage City, Malacca, and if the crowd turn out in MBMB stadium is any indication, it does not appear the city has not seen any international activity in the past.

Even as known faces sit on the dais, a mere look at the profile of the crowd would vouchsafe how young it is.

Yes, the Malaysian juniors are drawing crowd to the stands on their strength of performance.

Top teams India and Pakistan on the other pool of Malaysia, believe it or not, were hell bent on avoiding the hosts, and it proved they were quite right.

India came a cropper, quite a way, when confronted the hosts, and the depending champions had to retrieve their pride with a bronze.

And, the Malaysians have come a way.

About a year and half ago, the same team, with its Chief Coach Dharmaraj Abdullah, coaches Azlan Baker and all rounder Saju Joseph had to stay in a bunker.

Yes. The 18-year age group team was team did not get enough funding to undertake the promised but half-hearted yet green signaled Europe tour.

The monies that were offered were quite a fraction of what was actually required.

To under take the tour, or abandon it. Ordinary mortals would have preferred the first.

Then came the suggestion from Azlan Baker, the stout defender.

We will bag our rations, make out frozen chickens and let’s cut our costs.

The boys were ready to carry the ration, ready to do anything humanly possible so that the tour takes place.

Dharmaraj’s team surprised the authorities when they said they are on.

The team’s itinerary was taxing. The rivals were awesome, to say the least.

Matches against European teams who were preparing for European Champions
Cup.

The rivals list include Switzerland, Poland, Spain and Belgium.

The teams focus was not only what would transpire on the turf, but also cut costs.

What did they do to manage the tour with the meager resources.

They stayed in bunkers built for the safety purposes: in case of, hold your breath, nuclear attack!

When we asked the authorities for cheap accommodation, they pointed to these bunkers.

“We never knew what is Bunker till then. It was almost 6,7 feet below the ground level. We cooked there, adjusted there, packing our boys in small cubicles, cooked there, eat three, reminisced Dharmaraj in a rare one to one chit chat.

The story doesn’t end there.

The boys carried their ration in addition to heavy equipment they are supposed to. They traveled in local buses.

“With so much luggage we often clogged others in the bus while taking ticket, the one-man bus conductor allowed free transport to keep the way clear for others”, Dharmaraj laughs.

The boys walked up to the stadium often stretching to 2, 3 kms, that would obviously cut down the costs.

“We need not do warm up for the matches, the walks were more than that”, reminisces Dharmaraj with a wry smile on his face.

They often found the rollers on the luggage bags were worn out, as were drawn a lot on the roads.

They boys being young, they gave a go by for the creature comforts, and kept the sport at the forefront.

Even as the new bunch of Malaysians boys bask in the Maleka glory, the times, the troubled ones, they had still rankles in their mind.

Rome is not built in a day.

This article was published in this site during the May 2012