Junior hockey players in action at the National Hockey Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. The national team will continue to train throughout Ramadhan as they prepare for December's Borneo Cup in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.BT/Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
The national hockey team will continue to train throughout the fasting month of Ramadhan as they are preparing for the Borneo Cup in December.
Shaping up to be the biggest tournament in their calendar this year, the Borneo Cup will be held in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. The team has been training three times a week every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9pm to 11pm at the National Hockey Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.
Speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday, assistant coach Fauzi Hj Awang said that they are looking to get their momentum going ahead of the tournament. "We have a lot of players training with us right now but we have not finalised the squad for the tournament yet," he said.
"We have the existing members of the national team but we also have the national Under-18s and Under-21s training with us right now. "The junior players from the Under-18 and Under-21 teams have been progressing very well over the past few months.
"The players need to keep their stamina and fitness level up, so they need to come to training as it is very important for them not to lose their form," added the assistant coach. The national side will look to maintain their good form following their fine performance at the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) 9-a-Side Borneo Hockey Invitational in Sabah in May.
Two of the country's four representatives made it to the Champions Category of the May 17-19 tournament at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. Brunei Darussalam Hockey Association (BDHA) 'A' managed to reach the semi-final of the Champions Category but lost 4-3 on penalty-strokes to eventual winner Ipoh Link from Malaysia after both teams played out to a 0-0 draw.
The other team competing at the Champions Category was Hoki Kitani, who were ousted by compatriots BDHA 'A' in the quarter-final. BDHA 'B' made it to the Plate Category but lost to team Jabil from Malaysia in the quarter-final while Mixed Hoki Kitani did not make it to the knock-out stage of the tournament.
Thirty six teams from Brunei, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar were vying for top honours at the two-day tournament. The national team won the Plate Category of the tournament two years ago after defeating Goodwood Hockey Team 2-0 in the final.
