KUALA LUMPUR – Former national hockey players are fired up to outclass the senior national team, aiming not just to compete but to dominate and secure a podium finish at the upcoming 2024 Masters Hockey World Cup.
The tournament, scheduled to take place from October 12 to 21 in Cape Town, South Africa, will feature a veteran Malaysian squad comprising players from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, competing against teams from 15 nations.
Among the prominent former players competing in this year’s edition of the Masters Cup are Mohindar Singh Grewal, Stephen Van Huizen, William Lazaroo, Derick Fidelis, and others.
Speaking to Scoop, Van Huizen, a 1984 Los Angeles Olympian, said his teammates are still driven by the same passion to represent the nation and are ready to give their all, just like in their prime.
The 66-year-old recently served as technical adviser to the Young Tigers during the Men’s Junior World Cup last year, where the team finished 12th.
“We all still have the passion and are ready to do anything for the country. For this year’s edition, we have been training twice a week at Tun Razak Stadium, and I’m happy to see that we still have the same gameplay and rhythm as a team.
“Though we are older, how we train is similar to how the senior national team players train, and we always try to maintain the same intensity. This is because we will be competing against formidable European teams, and we need to stay fit and ready.
“I strongly believe we can do better than the senior national team and play better hockey than them in the upcoming Masters World Cup. I’m confident that we will achieve a podium finish,” said Van Huizen during the team introduction ceremony for the 2024 Masters Hockey World Cup at the Royal Selangor Club yesterday.
For the record, the senior national team, led by head coach Sarjit Singh, is currently competing in the Asian Champions Trophy in China.
The team with an average age of 24 years old, currently sits in fourth place out of six teams with four points. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Awtar Singh Grewal, a bronze medalist at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games and a member of the Masters World Cup team, said that despite being classified as senior citizens, his veteran squad has better tactical awareness than the current national senior team.
“We may be old and not as fast as they are, but we can sense danger on the turf more easily compared to the current Speedy Tigers lineup. We are also better in our decision-making on the field.
“With all these attributes we still possess, I can guarantee we will return from Cape Town with a medal,” said Awtar.
In the inaugural edition of the Masters World Cup, held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2022, the Malaysian veterans finished fourth, losing to the home team 5-4 in a penalty shootout. – September 14,2024