The national juniors played their first international hockey friendly match after two years, and lost 2-0 against senior club side Repton HC on Sunday.
Repton scored in the 27th minute via a penalty corner attempt and eight minutes later through a field goal, and the score remained as Malaysia defended stoutly after that.
National Juniors coach Wallace Tan (pic) said their first match in Britain provided much insight for him as the team prepare for the India Junior World Cup on Nov 24-Dec 5.
"The match against Repton was a good indicator for me as this team played their first international friendly after two years of training online (and sometimes on the pitch) because of Covid-19.
"We now know which departments to place more emphasis on in the remaining seven matches on our tour.
"The next match against England Under-21 is expected to be more intense, as both the teams are preparing for the Junior World Cup which is just months away."
While Repton was a three-hour drive away, the England Under-21 match tomorrow will be just 500m from their dormitories in Bisham Abbey.
Meanwhile, the national seniors will play their first Britain test match against Ireland on Oct 5-6 where world ranking points will be involved.
The senior team, who are involved in a 10-match tour, have played four clubsides so far with two draws, one defeat and one win.
All the players, including three goalkeepers, have been given ample time to warm up with club sides, and now coach Arul Selvaraj will have to plot the downfall of Ireland, where he used to coach previously. Jugjet Singh