KUCHING (JudeToyat): The state women’s hockey team started their Sukma campaign with a 1-2 loss in the group stage against Terengganu at the Hockey Stadium in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Head coach Sivasubramaniam Chellapah was left to rue the lack of experience evident among his players. He cited the limited number of league and friendly matches as the major factor in their performance.
Terengganu had jumped to a 2-0 lead by the 25th minute. Sarawak pulled one goal back before the interval but searched in vain for an equaliser in the second half.
“During the second half of the game today, Sarawak team played very well. Unfortunately, the finishing was very bad.
“The team have to play lots of games and tournaments and it will be very difficult for us to build a good team if there is no continuity in them to improve on their playing skills,” Siva said.
“We have lots of talents here in Sarawak, but talent itself is not enough.
“In order to have a winning team, there must be a continuity especially for trainings.
“You have to train over the years, then only you can be the winner,” added Siva who has helmed the state team in the past 11 years.
Twelve teams are competing in this year’s Sukma women’s hockey.
Sarawak, Terengganu, Kedah, Pahang, and WPKL are in Group A while Melaka, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Johor are in Group B.
The preliminary round will continue tomorrow (July 21) with Perak vs Selangor at 7am, WPKL vs Sarawak at 8.30am, Sabah vs Pahang at 10am, Terengganu vs Kedah at 3pm and Johor vs Negeri Sembilan at 4.30pm.
Siva added that Sarawak’s next match against defending champion WPKL is “crucial.” Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the semi finals on July 29. The final will be played on July 30. -TheBorneoPost
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