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Monday October 5, 2009

Three more juniors join national squad training for W-Cup qualifier

By S. RAMAGURU

KUALA LUMPUR: Three more former national juniors have joined the senior hockey team’s preparation for the World Cup qualifying tournament, which will be played in Invercargill, New Zealand, from Nov 7-15.

With the inclusion of Kazamirul Nasruddin, Mohamed Shafiq Mohamed Zan and Mohamed Jamil Saidin, there are now seven players from the 2009 national junior squad in the senior side. The others are goalkeeper Abdul Hakim Adnan, Faizal Saari, Mohamed Marhan Mohamed Jalil and Khairul Annuar Mat Isa.

“The juniors we called up have showed good form and they will be an asset to the team in the long run,” said coach Tai Beng Hai yesterday.

“Of the four players we brought in earlier, Faizal and Marhan have already made the team to the Champions Challenge II in Dublin and the tour to Australia and New Zealand. We will give the other the chances to prove their worth and it is up to them to seize the opportunities to make the cut.

“I intent to bring in more players if there are places available in the training squad”

Beng Hai added that the juniors would be given the chance to play in the five-match Test series against Australia from Oct 19-25.

“The selection of the final squad of 18 for the World Cup qualifying tournament will be made based on performances in the matches against Australia,” he said.

“I see greater competition among the players in the team and the seniors are being pushed hard by the juniors. No player can take his place in the team for granted.”

Four of the Test matches against Australia will be played at the Tun Razak Stadium here (Oct 19, 20, 24 and 25).

The other will be played in Kuantan on Oct 22.

The qualifying tournament offers one place to the Finals in New Delhi next year and Malaysia will be up against New Zealand, China, Austria, Scotland and Wales.

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