Monday, September 12, 2011

Negri mourns the demise of two internationals

TWO double internationals from Negri Sembilan, M. Joseph, 77, and Peter van Huizen, 75, have died.

Peter died on Sunday, while Joseph died yesterday morning.

Both were a rare breed who played hockey and football for the country, something present day sportsmen can't even dream of doing.

Peter only started playing hockey when he was 20, and that too by chance as he happened to be at the Negri Sembilan Padang and was invited to play for the Negri Sembilan Ceylonese Association (NSCA).

He went on to become a pillar between the posts in hockey and was among the 18 young men who represented Malaysia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. Peter was voted world's Best Goalkeeper in 1956.

He also played football for Negri Sembilan Indians Association (NSIA) and Seremban Rangers, the Negri state team in 1952 and represented Malaysia at the 1959 SEAP Games in Bangkok.

Peter then started coaching Seremban Municipal Council in 1985 and among the goalkeepers he spotted and trained were Hamdan Hamzah, who played for the National Juniors in 1989, Osbert Pinto (a winger turned goalkeeper) and recent former international and goalkeepers' coach Nasihin Nubli.

And Joseph was also made of the same stuff, as he too represented the country in hockey and football.

He represented then Malaya in football from 1947 to 1953, while in hockey, he played in the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games and in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games.

After he retired, Joseph or fondly called 'One-eyed Jo', started coaching in the early 1980s and under his coaching were G. Torairaju, Tony Chia and Zainuddin Hussein.

Joseph kept himself active by playing in the NS League for NSCA as well as the state veterans' squad.

Negri Sembilan HA secretary P. Tamilselvan said both Peter and Joseph were prides of the state.

"Both of them were pillars of society as well as sports and it is a great loss to the state," said Tamilselvan.

Read more: NST

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