MELAKA: Old boys and girls of Melaka High School (MHS) are eager to revive sports excellence in the state when they gather for their golden jubilee reunion at a leading hotel here on May 18.
Coordinator of the 50th celebration, Tay Bian How (pic, below), said all of them, who are now in their 70s, hope for a memorable gathering and also to look into ways of promoting field sports activities like in the good old days.
"We will collectively look into playing our role to revive sporting excellence in the state while having a nostalgic gathering to rekindle fond memories during the reunion of the 'Class 71 and 73'," he said in an interview on Saturday (April 27).
Tay noted that the decline of sports in the state was not due to the lack of spirit and commitment among the youth but rather the lack of proper sporting facilities to nurture budding athletes.
"Apart from the dearth of sporting facilities, the youth prefer to play online games rather than field sports such as football and hockey," he said.
For Melaka, Tay said the decline in outdoor sports was impacted by the absence of playing fields such as the Malacca Club and Bandar Hilir Padang, which had discouraged the youth from playing games such as hockey, cricket, football as well as rugby.
He regretted that the acquisition of the famed Malacca Club to make way for development had virtually ended hockey, cricket, netball and tennis in the state.
"The absence of competitive inter-club games in the state added to the declining popularity of such sports," he said.
Tay said over 80% of Melaka’s hockey and cricket talents learnt the game at Malacca Club's grounds.
He said the majority of the legendary sportsmen hailed from the traditional villages of Kampung Banda Kaba and Banda Hilir, both a stone’s throw from the Malacca Club.
"The Malacca Club green was where these sportsmen learnt their basic skills to be eventually spotted by official talent scouts," he added.
MHS alumni interested in joining the gathering can contact Datuk (Capt) Abdul Rahim Abd (012-494 9626); Tay Bian How (012-701 3823); Khoo Chai Huat (016-972 1406); Harban Singh (012-727 1918) or Raqib Lim (016-273 5886).
