KUALA LUMPUR: Sapura defender S. Kuhan is fighting against time to be fit for this year’s Malaysia Hockey League, which begins on Sept 1.

The former international, who has played in the MHL since 1992 and turned 36 last month, is way behind in terms of fitness due to his offshore work in Miri.

Sapura assistant team manager Gregory Louis said that Kuhan “is a player with vast experience and good with his penalty corners”.

“But we are not sure about his fitness level as he works offshore and hardly gets a chance to train with the team,” said Gregory.

“We have to gauge his fitness level in training before deciding whether to include him as a player.

“If he is unfit, then Kuhan will be named as the team manager because of his experience.”

Kuhan has captained Sapura in the MHL since 2000 and lifted a few titles for the team in the league.

Sapura were league champions in 2004. A year later, they not only retained the title but were also overall champions. In 2006, Sapura retained the overall title.

Last year, Sapura finished as runners-up in the Premier Division behind champions KL Hockey Club (KLHC). In the knockout stage, they finished third behind KLHC and Tenaga Nasional.

This season there is no knockout stage competition because the MHL must be completed in five weeks – well before the Razak Cup is held from Oct 14-21 in Kuantan.

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