Singapore Masters 40s Men’s Surprise Run to World Cup Quarterfinals

Source: Photo and write-up by: SG Men Masters Singapore Hockey Federation (@singaporehockey) • Instagram photos and videos

 

The Singapore Masters 40s Men’s National Hockey team defied expectations at the recently concluded 2024 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup in Cape Town, reaching the quarterfinals and eventually finishing eighth in the final standings.  This remarkable achievement was the culmination of a journey that began in May 2023, when the team’s vision of a more active role in the global masters’ hockey movement took shape. Leveraging the growing popularity of the Masters’ Liga (a local hockey league for players over the age of 40), a structured training and selection process led to the formation of three Singapore teams for the 2023 Asian Continental Championships held in Hong Kong.

The teams’ success at the Asian Championships, with two bronzes (Men’s Over 40s and Over 50s) and one gold medal (Women’s Over 40s) rekindled a belief in Singapore Hockey’s resurgence. In 2024, a rigorous selection process and training regimen prepared the teams for the WMH World Cups in Cape Town (Over 40s Men’s and Women’s), and Auckland (Over 50s, Over 55s and Over 60s), under the watchful eyes of General Manager Kanan Packrisamy, who also doubled up as coach of the 40s men. Over the course of six months, the Men’s Over 40s squad was trimmed from an initial pool of 44 players to a final squad of 18, to compete against some of the best Masters teams in the world.

As part of the preparation for the higher level of play expected at the World Cup, the team entered the Premier Liga consisting of MHL1 sides.  To ramp up their fitness, the team met every Tuesday for grueling fitness sessions.  In the final two months leading up to the World Cup, the team met three to four times a week for a combination of competitive and practice games, fitness, video and training sessions.

The Over 40 Men’s World Cup campaign in Cape Town began with a baptism of fire against former Olympic champions, Germany.  The team held the Germans to nought in the first 25 minutes of the game, before eventually succumbing to a 5-0 loss. The Germans were impressed with the grit displayed by our men, awarding our goalkeeper Foo Hee Jung with the Man-of-the-Match award.

Undeterred by the loss, the team bounced back with a 6-2 victory over the Alliance Team, a unified team of experienced players from all over the world.  The team’s resilience shone as they had to negotiate challenging wind conditions of more than 40 km/h to secure this crucial win.

The next game against Kenya however proved to be a setback, with Singapore falling 1-3.  However, the team’s determination, coupled with a rousing reality check provided by coach Kanan on the morning of the game, saw them earn a historic 3-1 win against archrivals and neighbours, Malaysia.  This World Cup win secured them second place in the group, and a date with New Zealand in the quarterfinals, much to widespread adulation back home in Singapore, where comparisons were made to Singapore’s last win over Malaysia in international hockey—the SEA Games Gold victory back in 1973, 51 years ago. The team was honoured and humbled to even be mentioned on equal standing with the legendary 1973 side.

Of the experience, Ranjan, captain of the team said, “We may be a small country, but we’re a proud nation and we love our hockey. This result is testament to the time and effort put in by the team and the allied support.  Competing in our 40s is a different animal compared to our 20s. But what a privilege to be still playing the game we love, for the place we call home.”

 

 

 

 

In the quarterfinals the next day, the Black Sticks performed their traditional haka before the match, while the Singapore team faced them in a 5 Star and Crescent Moon formation, choreographed by our Kiwi goalkeeper Darren. We can take some solace that we valiantly forayed into their circle and threatened to score several times, but the reality was that we did not. Instead, we succumbed to mistakes under constant pressure, ultimately losing by a disproportionate and humbling 10 goals. Despite the heavy defeat, the team remained focused on the possibility of finishing higher than 8th. In our next match against France, who also lost heavily against Australia in their quarterfinals, we took the game to Les Bleus. They were boosted by some former Olympians in the squad, but we held our own to end the first quarter scoreless. Unfortunately, we crumbled to two quick errors in the second quarter and allowed the French to take a 2-goal lead. They breached our defence further in the third quarter to lead 5-nil as we tried to get back into the game. We ended the last quarter like the first, scoreless, which meant that we had to beat Malaysia again to finish 7th. The French wished us well for our derby rematch and expressed their appreciation for our brave style of play.

 

 

In a highly competitive rematch, Singapore fought bravely and took the lead in the first quarter off a counterattack from their attacking penalty corner (PC). Unfortunately, Malaysia replied with two well-taken PC goals going into the third quarter of the match. Our men equalised off a well-coordinated team field goal, before Malaysia scored the winner off another PC. We launched wave after wave of attacks but were denied by near misses and stout defending by the Malaysians.

Our Over 40s Men’s National Hockey team’s results at the WMH World Cup was a historic achievement, demonstrating the country’s growing presence on the international masters hockey stage.  We hope the team’s success will inspire the next generation and pave the way for future teams of Singaporean hockey players to compete at the highest levels.

We would like to acknowledge the role played by various organisations and people who made this possible. First, we would like to thank Orient Maritime Group, for being the affiliate organising, funding, and running the teams for the various World Cups.

The super hands-on CEO of Orient Maritime Group Lakhbir Chal said, “We are proud to be given the opportunity to assist in the growth of Masters Hockey in Singapore.  Whilst Orient has been the ‘affiliate-in-charge’, the real thanks go to the group of volunteers who formed the Management Committee (MC).  This group of individuals, namely Thanaraj Kalliya Perumal, Silvester Selvan, Sivabhaktan Subramaniam, Kanan Packrisamy, and Lakhbir were the founding MC members.  The MC was later expanded with the inclusion of Prem Singh and Dave Ahier.  All members of the MC played crucial roles in ensuring that Singapore’s preparation and participation would be seamless, competitive, and enriching. Now that the structure is in place, it’s time for the next batch of volunteers to take charge and propel Singapore Masters Hockey to even greater heights.

None of this would have been possible if it was not for the support of the masters’ hockey playing community which continues to grow in numbers and strength.  Special shout out goes to Gopalan Naidu, the chieftain of the Hockey Liga, which gave Masters players an avenue to continue playing this game we love. Also noteworthy is the gratitude we owe the Singapore Hockey Federation for facilitating the booking of our training venue for seven months to help us prepare for this tournament, aiding with the donation platform, and considerably defraying our total tournament entry fees.”

Finally, without the help of sponsors and donors we would not have been able to reach our current 8^th place finish. We need to thank once again Orient Maritime Group, Parsh Marine, K2, UQ Pay, Seven Seas, Rina, JDH as well as all individual and corporate donors.

We must also thank our dedicated staff who took care of us and laid the foundation for our successful outing. This included a full-time physiotherapist, former South African international Jess Glass, Video Analyst cum assistant coach, Samuel Holmes (Sam), our “one step ahead” Manager, Thevarajan Nagarajan (Theva), Social Media Manager, Adeline Tan, and Head Coach, Kanan.

“We definitely still have loads of work to do in order to match the big nations, but our preparation has been amongst the best in the tournament, and this will hold Singapore in good stead for future successes,” said Sam, our capable Assistant Coach and Video Analyst. The South African is a Cape Town local with 10 years of coaching experience and played a significant part in our success.

 

Theva added, “In everything that we do, we must learn to focus more on the effort required, and the positive outcomes will follow.” Theva’s behind-the-scenes work is testament to us being amongst the better organised teams at the bi-annual tournament.

“It is an honour to be part of something that brings joy to so many people and lifts our nation’s profile globally. I’d like to think that the role I play is that of a facilitator who allows all stakeholders to thrive and gain relative success,” said a very proud Kanan.

Finally, we need to thank our supporters, some of whom travelled all the way to Cape Town with us. Although they may have been the wives and children of some players, it was very motivating to have them with us. Then there were friends of players who joined us for our games too. The fans from Singapore were also exceptional, providing encouragement, and watching all our games that were televised. We are eternally grateful for their support.

Our biggest fan and Social Media manager, Adeline Tan, reflected, “It’s been a wild ride with this O40s team, and I am extremely grateful to have witnessed their transformation from teammates to family. I am touched by the friendships forged throughout the competition and feel privileged to have served as the team’s social media manager. I felt like part of the team, cheering them on from the sidelines, and I loved creating social media posts to showcase their teamwork and skills. The hockey has been outstanding, and these men have truly been inspirational not only to my kids but also to me and everyone who has watched them play. Who would have thought that this motley group would come so far and hold their own against top teams like Germany and France? I look forward to seeing the team play together again!”

 

 

(Faizal and Yogendran enjoy their off day in Cape Town with family members)

 

 

 

 

(Members of the Singapore 40’s team at the opening ceremony where they were certainly the best dressed.)

 

 

(The Singapore 40’s Men contingent watching all our pool opponents open the group games)