Hockey / Azlan Shah Cup: Tai's boys cut down to size

SIZE does matter, and Malaysia found out the hard way when they struggled to stay on their feet when push came to shove, and lost 3-1 to Britain in the 20th Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh yesterday.

Watched by 5,000 fans, Malaysia got their basics right and held a tight grip on the World No 4 and Olympic hosts, but a silly mistake in the 17th minute gave away a penalty corner.

James Tindall converted, but Malaysia kept on pushing with Hafifihafiz Hanafi and Faizal Saari making inroads, but failed to click in the semi-circle.

And just as the clock showed 35 seconds remaining in the first half, Richard Smith connected a cross which beat goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin for their second goal.

Yesterday, coach Tai Beng Hai rested first choice goalkeeper S. Kumar and Kelvinder Singh, for skipper Madzli Ikmar, Baljit Singh and Radzi Rahim to take care of the backline.

The national side showed shades of improvement from their Asian Games style, and their confidence was boosted when Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin scored a stunner in the 41st minute.

Tengku collected the ball on the blind side, and his reverse stick grounder went between the legs of goalkeeper James Fair, and Malaysia were back in the match.

However, in the 51st minute, Robert Moore was gifted an open goal as he was left unmarked to deflect in the third goal past Roslan.

Malaysia are braced to face another torrid time against World No 1 Australia today.

THE Sports Commissioner's Office (SCO) will assist the Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) to resolve its internal problems which have brought the sport to a standstill since last December.

MSBF secretary Melvin Chia handed in all the required documents connected to the issues to the SCO in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The federation has not had a council meeting since its elections last December, which has subsequently led to the resignation of newly elected president Raymond Lim on Jan 17.

Although two council meetings were scheduled for April 15 and 29, they were cancelled due to a lack of quorum.

According to Melvin, some members were hesitant to attend upon receiving an e-mail from former president Datuk W. Y. Chin, who questioned the validity of the meetings and also his (Melvin's) position as the federation's secretary.

The internal bickering has left MSBF inactive and also affected the national players' preparation for the Indonesia Sea Games.

"I've given all the documents to the SCO. It is getting out of hand and I strongly believe the Sports Commissioner can help resolve the issue amicably," said Melvin in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Chin, who was appointed as Founder President and Honorary Lifetime Adviser after stepping down as president, had in a letter and e-mail to members on Tuesday, initiated a move to return as MSBF president if an executive board meeting is not called by Monday.

"Chin cannot initiate such a move as he has no authority. According to the federation's constitution, which was revised in 2008, there is no mention of a position called 'Founder President and Honorary Lifetime Adviser', as is stipulated in Article 5.0," said Melvin.