Race for S’wak hockey league playoffs heats up
KUCHING: The race for the TNB Sarawak Hockey League’s playoffs is on when play resumes this weekend.
The fixtures for this weekend will see nine matches with the Men’s Open and Women’s Open each having one key match-up.
Paku- Batu Lintang ( PBL) HT will meet All Division at 7.30am tomorrow in the weekend’s opening match at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium.
It is a key match which will likely determine the winner of the Women’s Open.
PBL i s r iding high a f ter demolishing SMK Tebakang 18- 0.
All Division stumbled out of the gates with a 2-1 squeaker against SMK Bako.
PBL, All Division and Kuching Hockey Association are the three teams with chances of winning the tourney.
The next match at 9.30am will see the Men’s Open’s SEB HC play Warriors in a meeting of Group B minnows.
Group A’s Batu Lintang HC will then meet UNIXX HC at 3pm followed by the Borneo Young Blood-KHA tie at 4.30pm.
Sunday’s opening match at 7.30am will see MatHoc play BLHC.
KHA will then play Warrior at 9am with All Div meeting SMK Tebakang at 10.30am.
SEB will then play MTOB at 3pm followed by the UNIXX vs Eleven Warrior match at 4.30pm.
The UNIXX- EW clash is the crucial tie of Group A as it will determine who will advance to the playoffs.
Both teams have only lose once each, both to One XOX who have won their group with a perfect record.
XOX’s M Izzat Afifi, the Sarawak Sukma team captain, looks to have the scoring race wrapped up as he has more than 10 goals under his belt.
UNIXX have to beat EW to have any chance of advancing.
EW, an Armed Forces squad, have a big goal difference advantage as they hammered MatHoc 12- 0.
In Group B, Belia Git have f inished their g roup stage unbeaten but with two draws.
Belia, heavily dependent on former national team player Dangerous Lee Mathew, will have to wait and see how their group finishes.
They will also hope Dangerous recovers quickly from his groin pull if they are to have any hope in the playoffs.
KHA and BYB are the other two Group B teams with chances of making the cross- over semifinals.