DAREN CHARTS MALAYSIA’S COMEBACK TRAIL

Malaysia defeated All-Star Europe 3-1 to end their Axiata Cup preliminary round campaign on a satisfactory note at the DBL Arena in Surabaya yesterday.

The Indonesian domination, however, derailed when they drew 2-2 with All-Star Asia while Thailand defeated Vietnam 4-0, and Singapore outclassed Philippines 3-1 respectively. The Thais lead the table chart with 13 points going into the next round followed by Indonesia (12), Malaysia (11), Vietnam, All-Star Europe and All-Star Asia (8), Singapore (7) while the Philippines have just one point to show.

Spain’s Carolina Marin took to courts in the first women singles against Tan Jing Yi. The Malaysian lass showed determination and skills but failed to overpower her opponent, losing 12-21 in the first game. Jing Yi, however, made a comeback by winning the second 21-17 but was too tired in the third and went down 13-21, giving All-Star Europe the much needed boost by taking a 1-0 lead.

 

In the men’s singles, Irishman Scott Evans’ showdown with Liew Daren went the extra mile – with Evans coming on strongly by taking a 6-0 lead in the first game before Daren closed the gap at 8-13 and then drew level at 15-15.

The serve exchanged hands frequently and both were tied once again at 20-20 before Daren wrapped up the match 22-20. In the second set, Evans raced to take a 13-8 lead but allowed Daren to level at 15-15 before the Malaysian romped home to win 21-19.

With the overall score now tied at 1-1, it was once again left to the mixed-doubles pair of Chan Peng Soon- Goh Liu Ying and men’s doubles of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong to do damage control. And they did just that. First, Peng Soon-Liu Ying subdued Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork 19-21, 21-16 and 21-15 to give the Malaysians a 2-1 lead.

In the men’s doubles, Kien Keat-Boon Heong, ranked World No 5, pulverised Russian pair Ivan Sozonov-Vladimir Ivanov 21-11, 21-17 to seal victory.

And now the Malaysians look to up the ante during the second round which will be held simultaneously in Surabaya and Kuala Lumpur from March 29-31.

Vietnam, All-Star Asia and Singapore are drawn to meet Malaysia at the Cheras Badminton Stadium for the second round while for the Surabaya second-leg, hosts Indonesia are paired with All-Star Europe, Philippines and Thailand at the DBL Arena..

The top four teams with the highest number of points after the preliminary round will progress to the semi-finals where there will be a re-draw to determine the match-ups. Both the semi-finals and finals will be held in Kuala Lumpur over two days beginning April 13. The winning finalist will take home a whopping US$400,000.

 Results: Malaysia 3 All-Star Europe 1

Women’s Singles

Tee Jing Yi lost to Carolina Marin 12-21, 21-17, 13-21

Men’s Singles

Chong Wei Feng bt Scott Evans 22-20, 21-19

Mixed Doubles

Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying bt Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork 19-21, 21-16, 21-15

Men’s Doubles

Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong bt Ivan Sozonov-Vladimir Ivanov 21-14, 21-17

 Other Results: All-Star Asia 2 Indonesia 2; Thailand 4 Vietnam 0;                                  Philippines 1 Singapore 3

A THAI LESSON FOR MALAYSIA IN SURABAYA

Malaysia’s campaign in the first round of the US$1 million Axiata Cup almost turned into a nightmarish encounter  as they clawed back to level 2-2 against a rejuvenated Thailand at the DBL Arena today.

After defeating Philippines 4-0 in their opening match on Thursday, Malaysia’s campaign encountered a hiccup against Thailand - first in the women’s singles between Tee Jing Yi and Ratchanok Intanon, and then in the men’s singles.

The 18-year-old Ratchanok, who reached the finals of the All-England recently, won 21-17, 22-20 to give Thailand the much-needed start. It was Jing Yi’s second defeat in the hands of Ratchanok, having also lost in the Japan Open last year to the Thai in straight sets of 11-21, 10-21.

And just when everyone thought that Liew Daren would turn Malaysia’s fortunes around in the men’s singles, which was the second match of the night, against All-England semi-finalist Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, it was just not to be.

Tanongsak, currently ranked World No 24, surprised himself and even his teammates, by carving a 21-16, 21-17 victory over the Malaysian who is ranked World No 14, thus dashing Malaysia’s hopes of a fight back to level the score.

It was now left to the mixed-doubles pair of Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying to do damage control but the Malaysians, ranked World No 5, were left reeling to a 20-22 defeat in the first game but bounced back to win the second 21-14 and third 21-14.

Thailand’s domination, however, ended when the men’s doubles pair of Koo Kien  Keat-Tan Boon Heong pulled off a 21-13 win over Boonsak Ponsana-Songphon Anugritayawon in the first game and followed up with a 21-14 victory in the second, as the Malaysia-Thailand tie ended in a  2-2 draw, much to the relief in the Malaysian camp.

Malaysia’s singles head Coach Rashid Sidek said: “It isn’t that Daren fared badly but Tanongsak was at his element with net play. Daren gave it all his best but he simply lost to a better player.”

Host Indonesia had earlier trounced Singapore 4-0 to keep a date with Malaysia tomorrow in what is expected to be a battle of survival for the Malaysians before taking on the All-Star Europe on Sunday.

Sony Dwi Kuncoro withdrew from the Surabaya-leg of the tournament on medical ground, Mohammad Ahsan excused himself as he is getting married this weekend, and this would seem to be the least of their problems.

“More than half the squad registered for this championship are severely jetlagged,” Indonesian Badminton Association spokesman Bambang Roedyanto, said. “Those who were able took to the courts in their opening tie against Vietnam yesterday, and today against Singapore.”

Hendra Setiawan,  Muhammad Ahsan,  Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka, Tontowi Ahmad,  Liliyana Natsir, Lindaweni  Fanetri were among Indonesia’s national squad players scheduled to return earlier this week after their Europe assignments. However, flight delays sent their schedules haywire forcing them to only arrive in Surabaya late yesterday morning.

Acknowledging the Malaysian players also participated in Europe assignments, Bambang said the Malaysian players returned on Tuesday, and world rankings don’t matter when both teams meet as “It’s all about who’s in form on match day, and not the formbooks.”

Elsewhere, All-Star Asia defeated Philippines 4-0, and this restored their confidence in table rankings following Thursday’s opening match 1-3 defeat to Thailand, while All-Star Europe clawed back to beat Vietnam 3-1 after Scot Evans’ 17-21, 21-12, 19-21 defeat to  Nguyen Hoang Nam in the opening men’s single match.

RESULTS: Malaysia 2 Thailand 2: Women’s Singles: Tee Jing Yi lost to Ratchanok Intanon 17-21, 20-22; Men’s Singles: Liew Daren lost to Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 16-21, 17-21; Mixed Doubles: Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying bt Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam 20-22, 21-14, 21-14; Men’s Doubles: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong bt  Boonsak Ponsana- Songphon Anugritayawon 21-13, 21-14.

OTHER RESULTS: Indonesia bt Singapore 4-0; All-Star Asia bt Philippines 4-0;                               All-Star Europe bt Vietnam 3-1.

GEMPUR ATM GEMPUR! Ayuh kuatkan semangatmu!

BERDEPAN diuji dengan pelbagai dugaan, ia tetap tidak akan melemahkan semangat pendahulu, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia untuk meneruskan cabaran dalam saingan Liga Super selepas Jawatankuasa Tatatertib FAM menjatuhkan hukuman penggantungan terhadap empat pemain berikutan pembabitan dalam insiden provokasi pada perlawanan pusingan pertama Piala FA menentang Selangor pada penghujung Januari lalu.

Difahamkan, kesemua pemain yang didakwa tidak dipanggil untuk membela dirinya sebaliknya Jawatankuasa Tatatertib yang bersidang hari ini mengenakan tindakan penggantungan antara dua hingga empat perlawanan kepada Shukor Adan, G Jeevanantham, R Surendran dan Fitri Omar.

Menariknya, pemain Selangor, Afiq Omar yang dikatakan mencetuskan pergaduhan di atas padang sebaik tamatnya aksi 120 minit yang berkesudahan dengan kekalahan ATM menerusi sepakan penalti 3-2, dikatakan terselamat daripada sebarang hukuman berat.

Ketua pasukan, Hairuddin Omar yang menjadi watak yang menenangkan keadaan antara kedua-dua belah pemain pula dikenakan amaran keras.

Dengan penggantungan empat pemain ini, ATM berdepan kehilangan 7 pemain bagi perlawanan menentang Kelantan di tempat sendiri sebaik liga bersambung pada 29 Mac ini berikutan ketiadaan tiga pemain yang dilanda kecederaan dan penggantungan.

Bek kiri, Norfazly Alias terpaksa berehat sehingga enam minggu selepas disentak kecederaan tulang pipi pada perlawanan terakhir menentang Perak, Amiridzwan Taj Tajudin yang bergelut dengan masalah betis kanan sewaktu menyertai kem kebangsaan dan K Reuben yang digantung berikutan mengutip tiga kad kuning.

Keputusan JawatanKuasa Tatatertib FAM
1. Shukor Adan - Digantung 2 perlawanan, denda RM 1500, walaupun mengaku tidak bersalah.
2. Hai 0 - Amaran keras
3. G.Jeevanthan - digantung 3 perlawanan, denda RM 1000
4. R.Surendran - digantung 3 perlawanan, denda RM 1500.00
5. Mohd Fitri Omar - digantung 4 perlawanan, denda RM 1000.00

Penggantungan pemain bermula daripada perlawanan menentang Kelantan, 29 Mac ini

CHELSEA ASIA TOUR 2013

Chelsea’s stars Eden Hazard and Demba Ba will be coming to town for the first time! The Belgian and the Senegalese are poised to make their maiden trip to Kuala Lumpur as part of the English Premier League team’s 2013/2014 pre-season tour.

This will be ‘The Blues’ third visit to Kuala Lumpur since 2008 and the friendly match against a Malaysian Selection will be played on July 21 at the Shah Alam Stadium. Chelsea will also play matches in Thailand and Indonesia.

Malaysian fans will also get the opportunity to watch UEFA Champions League winners such as Ashley Cole, Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill who will join the likes of Hazard and Ba on the Malaysian leg of the tour.

It will also be a sweet trip down memory lane for current skipper John Terry as it was in Kuala Lumpur that he earned accolades as team captain when lifting the Premier League Asia Cup in 2003, during Chelsea’s playing tour then.

This year’s summer tour will see the club living up to the theme ‘Here to Play, Here to Stay’, and is made possible through the concerted efforts of ProEvents International and the Football Association of Malaysia.

Chelsea will take to the field against the Malaysian Selection who are also known as Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) four days after their friendly against Thailand All-Star XI on July 17 in Bangkok, before flying to Jakarta to conclude their tour against an Indonesian XI on July 25 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Chelsea’s Chief Executive Ron Gourlay said they are pleased to return to Kuala Lumpur as there is a large fan-base among Malaysians. 

“It is fantastic news that we will be adding Kuala Lumpur to our already confirmed match in Bangkok and Indonesia this summer,” said Gourlay at a press conference today at the Saujana Hotel in Subang.

Also present were the FA of Malaysia Vice-President Dato’ Seri Subahan Kamal who is also the national team manager and FAM General-Secretary Lt Gen (Rtd) Dato’ Azzuddin Ahmad.

“We look forward to the match against what promises to be a strong and improving opposition. Two years ago in Malaysia we narrowly won before 85,000 fans. And we are looking forward to the same stunning atmosphere once again. Each time we travel to Asia I am amazed at the reception, and I am sure this summer will be no different,” added Gourlay.

Kuala Lumpur has been home to a Chelsea FC Blue Pitch since 2011, providing a hub for their staff to bring expert grassroots coaching to Malaysian youngsters, and was also utilised during the youth team’s mini-tour of Asia last summer.

ProEvents International Managing Director San Boon Wah said Malaysia has always been the key destination for English Premier League clubs and Chelsea’s third visit here since 2008 will provide their fans another thrilling experience of watching Chelsea’s new signings for the first time.

 “I am sure fans from this region will be very excited to watch the star-studded Chelsea team play against the Malaysian Selection,” said Boon Wah. “Several of them will be playing in Kuala Lumpur for the first time. It is great news and we appreciate Chelsea’s efforts to bring their best possible squad to Kuala Lumpur.”

He added that ProEvents takes great pride in organising this match and thanked the FA of Malaysia and Chelsea fans as well for their continued support.

“All Malaysian football enthusiasts should come and support the Malaysian Selection and Chelsea as well. I am confident the Stadium will once again be packed for this exciting match against Chelsea who have in their line-up some of the world’s most renowned players.”         

Chelsea official club website receives more than 180,000 unique visits each month from Malaysia, and the club’s Facebook page has almost one million fans in the country. News on ticket sales for the matches against Malaysia will be posted on the official Chelsea website and ticketpro.com.

TAJ mahu kembalikan ATM ke landasan kemenangan, sasar tiga mata berdepan Perak

SELEPAS melalui dua keputusan mengecewakan, pertahanan tengah, Amiridzwan Taj Tajudin melaungkan tekad untuk mengembalikan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia ke landasan kemenangan pada pertemuan menentang Perak, Jumaat ini.

Dikecewakan 2-3 oleh Terengganu di tempat lawan, pendahulu, ATM kehilangan cengkaman ke atas kedudukannya di atas persada liga apabila hanya mampu seri tanpa jaringan berdepan Pahang, Jumaat lalu.

Meskipun menguasai perlawanan, the Gladiators gagal menembusi kekebalan benteng yang diterajui penjaga gol, Rosfaizul Azuar Ali dengan peluang terbaik dimiliki Taj pada babak kedua menerusi tandukannya yang singgah di palang.

“Apa yang boleh kami katakan, memang tiada rezeki pada dua perlawanan sebelum ini. Kami asyik keciciran mata sejak kebelakangan ini.

“Kami memang memiliki banyak peluang tetapi gagal memanfaatkannya. Tandukan saya memang tepat ke sasaran, tetapi apakan daya ia sekadar singgah di palang.

“Kami perlu bangkit pada perlawanan seterusnya menentang Perak,” katanya yang sudah meledakkan satu jaringan musim ini ketika berdepan Johor Darul Takzim.

Pemain tinggi lampai berusia 26 tahun itu memiliki sebab tersendiri untuk menampilkan aksi terbaik bagi perlawanan menentang Perak di Stadium Lumut menjelang tugasan antarabangsa menentang Yaman dalam kelayakan Piala Asia 2015.

Liga akan berehat dua minggu bagi memberi ruang buat barisan K Rajagobal berkumpul bagi mempersiapkan diri bagi menghadapi pasukan Asia Barat itu pada 22 Mac ini di Stadium Shah Alam dengan Taj mahu memastikan dirinya terus berada dalam senarai pengendali kebangsaan tersebut selepas aksi berdepan Qatar bulan lalu.

“Saya berharap akan diberikan peluang sekali lagi untuk menyarung jersi kebangsaan bagi perlawanan menghadapi Yaman. Diharapkan saya dapat meyakinkan jurulatih (K Rajagobal) untuk terus menyenaraikan saya bersama-sama pemain ATM yang lain,” tambahnya.