IPOH – Perak’s SMK Anderson hockey team is aiming high with its pool of talents in this year’s Malaysia Junior Hockey League (MJHL), eyeing a spot in the finals.
The iconic secondary school – established in 1909 – has been one of the top talent feeders in the Malaysian hockey landscape since the sport was introduced by British administrators before World War II.
Among the most prominent Andersonians who went on to represent Malaysia internationally were goalkeeper Kamarul Ariffin and penalty corner specialist A.I. Thaillanathan – once feared by their opponents in the early 1950s and ’60s.
National hockey forward Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, who stole the crowd with his scintillating performance at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, also hails from SMK Anderson.
The 24-year-old player scored 24 goals in 71 appearances for the Speedy Tigers since making his debut in 2019.
Speaking to Scoop, SMK Anderson hockey team head coach Nizam Mohd Hashim said that he aims to send two teams to this year’s MJHL tournament, expected to take place in June or July.
He also said that he will finalise the number of players in his squad by next week after a series of friendly tournaments.
“I have been a coach at this school for nearly 13 years, and I enjoy developing talents for Perak and the country.
“We have a huge talent pool in our school with approximately over 100 players, and we will send two teams for this year’s MJHL.
“For Division 1, we will send our Anderson Thunderbolts team to compete, while the Anderson Juniors will compete in Division 2.
“In last year’s edition, we sent three teams to compete in the prestigious junior league tournament. However, due to budget constraints and manpower, we have limited ourselves to two teams this time.
“We have yet to finalise the players for each team, but we usually send approximately 22 players per team. For now, we have selected 25 to be tested in a tournament that we will be organising. By this coming week, we will narrow down the list to 22 players,” said Nizam after his team’s training at the Azlan Shah Stadium.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Andersonian Ahmad Fareedz Iqram – who plays in the midfield position and has been participating in the MJHL for the past five years – expressed his readiness to meet his coach’s targets by becoming the driving force for his team.
“As a senior player, I’m ready to step up my game and ensure I fulfil my coach’s targets. Not only myself…I will also ensure that my teammates are on the same page to achieve our target at MJHL.
“Our main contender for this year’s league will be SSBJ Thunderbolts. As a team, we should not fear them but try to come up with ways to become better than them.
“On a personal note, I want to use MJHL as an opportunity to become a better player and probably play for my beloved state Perak in the Malaysian Games (Sukma) and also in the national team like my idol Azrai Aizad,” said Fareedz.
Anderson Thunderbolts have been actively participating in the MJHL since the league’s inception in 1995.
The Ipoh-based junior hockey team finished fourth in last year’s edition in a battle among 45 teams.
The late Tun S. Samy Vellu (former works minister), Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (former youth and sports minister), and Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, also known as Lat (famous illustrator and cartoonist of Kampung Boy) are a few of the notable alumni from SMK Anderson. – May 12, 2024
