It was an unfamiliar sight on familiar grounds.
Baljit Singh (left, main image) and Kevinder Singh (right) were not creating magic with their sticks on the turf at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Hockey Stadium in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur. After all, the stadium was their playground where they impressed, and graduated to become among the elite players to don the national colours.
Instead, the former internationals were screaming their lungs off from the sidelines as their team, Kuala Lumpur Sikhs Sports Recreational Club (KLSS RC) played its first match in the Malaysia Junior Hockey League (Division 2, Group B) yesterday. Present to keep the team in check was team manager, Gurdip Singh.
KLSS RC, a team assembled barely two weeks ago, defeated another league debutant, Kuala Lumpur Sports School CS (KLSS CS) 4-1.
Amanraj Singh found the net in the 14th minute to start the ball rolling, while captain Angad Singh scored a brace in the 17th and 36th minutes. KLSS RC netted their fourth goal through Harjeevan Singh in the 45th minute.
KLSS CS got its consolation goal via Haris Amaruddin Mohd Azmee in the 26th minute.
It was a morale-boosting start for the players but Baljit and Kevinder remained grounded.
“The players from both teams were inconsistent,” was Baljit’s honest assessment, when asked about the level of play.
“They need more training; they need more games. I’m talking about both teams. There were times when our players felt pressured. When they were pressed, they made mistakes, and it happened to the other team, too. There were good moments, and not so good moments for both teams.”
Kevinder chipped in, saying: “More tournaments … that’s what we need.”
“We need regular tournaments, at least once every two months. This junior league is also only about a month long. What happens next?”
The Malaysia Junior Hockey League, which started on July 13, saw the participation of 29 teams in the boys’ event, and 15 teams in the girls’ category. The final for the Under-19 league is scheduled for Aug 28.
From tea to reality
It was a conversation about the state of the sport and the lack of participation from the Punjabi community that sparked the idea of getting involved in the national junior league.
“We had tea in Bangsar in early December and had a long conversation about the state of hockey and how we should get more players playing the sport,” said Baljit.
“We always talk about Baljit, Kevinder, Maninderjit (Singh) and Sarjit (Singh), but why aren’t there other Punjabis (playing for the country)? That’s how the conversation started,” Kevinder quickly added.
“Initially, we were 50-50 about our participation in the league, as we were afraid that we couldn’t get enough players.”
However, the team managed to round up enough players from Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, and even as far away as Penang.
Team not exclusive to a particular community
Gurdip, a lawyer by profession, said the task of getting the players to sign up was made easy, thanks to the blessings of their parents.
“We know the players; we know their parents. So, we called up their parents and asked if they would like to play. We told them that if we had enough players, we would form the team,” said Gurdip.
“If we have enough players, we will continue next year. Or perhaps, we could even play in the senior league.”
Gurdip said the team was not exclusive to a particular community.
KLSS RC is strengthened by the likes of Muhammad Hafizuddin Abd Jalil, Muhammad Sufyan Mohd Nadzrir, Danish Iqhwan Roslizam, and Megat Zamzaqeer Darwisy.
“We sourced for players from all backgrounds. Some had already committed to other teams, while others came in fresh.”
Gurdip was excited about the winning start.
“I know they are good players, but I wasn’t too sure if they could play well as a team. Today, they played well. We are all very happy for them … they met our expectations.”
‘Come join us, share your experience’
Baljit retired from the sport in 2017, while Kevinder last represented Malaysia in 2011. Baljit went on to dabble in coaching, while Kevinder is a police inspector. It is evident, hockey remains in their blood.
In hoping to play their part to unearth more talents and raise the standard of the game, the duo also urged more former internationals to step forward and help support the sport at the grassroots.
“We had Maninderjit supporting us from the stands today. We hope to see more former internationals join us, support us, guide us, and share their experience with us,” said Kevinder.
Baljit added: “When they (ex-national players) come, it will motivate the players. Although it’s a junior league, this is where it all begins.”
