10 March 2010, SINGAPORE |Singapore have been handed a tough draw in the first round of the Malaysian National Under-16 Hockey Championships 2010 in Sandakan, Sabah, East Malaysia. The championships which start this Saturday, 13 March, will feature 13 teams placed in two groups of seven and six teams.

Group A includes powerhouses, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Selangor. Kelantan and Perlis are expected to make up the numbers while Pahang and Singapore will be considered dark horses to advance from this competitive group.

Group B will be fought out by Perak, Penang, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, minnows Sarawak and host state Sabah. Perak, Penang and Negeri will be expected to compete for the two semi-finals spots.

Singapore start their campaign on day 1 against Johor before encountering Kuala Lumpur the next day. Following a rest day, Singapore will play the other big team in their group, Selangor on Tuesday, by which time, the island republic will know if they have a realistic chance of qualifying for the next phase of the tournament.

Singapore will wrap up their first round games against Kelantan, Pahang and Perlis from Wednesday to Friday. The Semi-finals are on Saturday and the finals on Sunday 21 March.

The Singapore team is coached by Gerard Danker and managed by Norazlan Bin Ibrahim. A squad of 17 players will leave for Sabah on 12 March. The team are exciting about the tournament in East Malaysia, a region not particularly known for hockey prowess.

The scenic state of Sabah with the famed Mount Kinabalu might be the ideal setting that allows Team Singapore to scale the mountain of hockey success.

All the same the players though dedicated to the cause are realistic about their chances as in the least 8 other teams in the tournament are equipped with the quality to be better or on par with Singapore.

The coach Gerard Danker is confident this squad will avail themselves at the tournament.

The Singapore Hockey Federation on behalf of the fraternity at large wishes the boys best wishes for them to do their best at the championships.-story by SHF

The Squad of 17: