Ampang Jaya BC takes Junior Champions Challenge 2016 Title

Ampang Jaya BC strolled past BU Dragons BC 9-2 in the Junior Champions Challenge (JCC) 2016 final to win the title earlier today at the Sports Arena, Bukit Serdang.

Their boys’ singles player, Tan Jia Wei wasted little time in dispatching BU Dragons’ Loo Bing Kun 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 as Ampang Jaya took the first match with a convincing 3-0 victory.

Ampang Jaya secured another 3 points in the girls’ singles’ category. Wang Zhi Yi gained an easy 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 win over BU Dragons’ rising star, K. Letshanaa as the difference in class was just too significant.  

Tang Xin and Tan Kok Xian would then win the cup for their team after defeating BU Dragons’ Leong Jun Kai and Owen Ting Shih Wee 3-2 (10-11, 11-9, 11-4, 10-11, 11-8) in boys’ doubles’ category.

“I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. We have been targeting for the championship since the very beginning and now that we have achieved our goal, it makes everything worthwhile,” said Ampang Jaya head coach, Ho Khek Mong.

“The match was tighter than the score-line suggested. Our players still had to remain focus despite BU Dragons fielding a fairly young side as they are unpredictable. In the end, I am very proud of them as they handled the pressure with flying colours,” added Khek Mong.

Meanwhile, Petaling BC secured third place as they beat Kepong BC 10-9 in the 3^rd/4^th playoff. Kepong started the stronger side as they won the first 3 matches. However Petaling who were down 4-9 at one point, turned it around as Petaling’s girls’ doubles pair, Loh Bao Ying and Tew Jia Jia cruised past Kepong’s Bonoi Pakitta and Chu Ai Chia in straight sets to narrow the margin.

With the momentum on their side, Petaling’s Loh Loh Ze Feng and Wanida Buapa would go on to beat Gan Jing Err and Muhd Nuraidil Adha 3-0 in the mixed doubles match to secure the win for their side.

Ampang Jaya took home the winners cheque worth RM25,000 while BU Dragons was awarded RM15,000. Petaling pocketed RM6,000 from their third place finish while Kepong went home with RM4,000.

Final: Ampang Jaya BC bt BU Dragons BC (9-2)

BS: Tan Jia Wei bt Loo Bing Kun 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-4)

GS: Wang Zhi Yi bt K. Letshanaa 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-9)

BD: Tan Kok Xian-Tang Xin bt Leong Jun Kai-Owen Ting Shih Wee 3-2 (10-11, 11-9, 11-4, 10-11, 11-8)

3^rd/4^th Placing: Petaling BC bt Kepong BC (10-9)

BS: James Hong Jun lost to Kok Jing Hong 1-3 (11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 9-11)

GS: Yap Yee lost to Silprakob Suphapich 2-3 (7-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 3-11)

BD: Ian Wong Jien Sern-Kwek Yee Jian lost to Chua Yue Chern-Tee Kai Wun 1-3 (5-11, 11-9, 6-11, 7-11)

GD: Loh Bao Ying-Tew Jia Jia bt Bonoi Pakitta-Chu Ai Chia 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-8)

--> XD: Loh Ze Feng-Wanida Buapa bt Gan Jing Err-Muhd Nuraidil Adha 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4)

Van Huizen: Tigers can exploit Pakistan

Hosts Malaysia and two-time champions Pakistan promised a dazzling performance in their opening act of the QNET 4^th Asian Champions Trophy which begins tomorrow at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan.

Head coach Stephen van Huizen is confident his Malaysian Tigers have the pedigree to exploit the defending champions, who emerged champions in 2012 and 2013, in front of hockey-loving fans in this coastal city.

He added that Malaysia will field its strongest penalty corner battery of six players, as well as having a far improved squad than the one which finished sixth in the recent Australian Hockey League.

“Both Pakistan and Malaysia missed out of the Rio Olympics and are trying to climb back into the world hockey ladder and so I expect a tough match from the ACT defending champions," said van Huizen at a pre-match press conference here today.

The six penalty corner specialists for Malaysia are Shahril Saabah, Fitri Shaari, Firhan Ashaari, Mohd Razie Abdul Rahim, Najmi Fariza and the Terengganu’s forward Faizal Saari.

“Our penalty corner choices are the strongest ever as I have five other players to select from other than our No 1 Razie Rahim,” said Van Huizen. “This will be our mainstay in the tournament, where we aim to qualify for the semi-finals first and then take one game at a time."

“Of course we will miss the services of Marhan Jalil, Muhammad Izad and Baljit Singh but we do expect injuries along the way. We lost two guys due to injuries but compensated with Razie and Nabil. Don’t forget that Nabil is very experience in midfield and we have introduced Faizal back into the team. We have a very good competition side,” said Van Huizen.

He, however, cautioned that Pakistan has a good and strong history and Malaysia’s track record against them has been nothing but sultry.

“We did beat Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy (1-0) which was the last time both teams played against each other and we expect a very tough match against them.”

“They are a very experienced team and are trying to come back in the world of hockey. And being defending champions we expect them to be very well prepared for this tournament,” added the Malaysian head coach.

The Malaysians have never beaten Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy – losing 3-2 in the inaugural 2011 event, securing a 2-2 draw in 2012 and lost 1-0 in 2013. The tournament was not held in 2014 and 2015.

Pakistan, however, are saddened with the absence of team captain  Mohamed Irfan, who never arrived in Kuantan, due to visa problems back home.

Coach Junaid Khan said the absence of Irfan will be felt, but they have Plan B to counter the Malaysians. Pakistan won the last two editions and is gunning for a hat-trick.

“Our captain Irfan could not make it here due to visa problems and so we will be bringing in another player soon. It will be tougher for us now, but we have a Plan B to counter his absence," said Junaid.

--> “We came here on a hat-trick mission, and winning the first match will be utmost in our minds to kick-start that ambition," said Junaid.

Malacca Titans suffered their third consecutive defeat when they fell at the hands of Kelantan Warriors 2-1 in the third round of the Ekspres Perdana Sepak Takraw League (STL) 2016 at the Serdang Jaya Municipal Council Stadium.

Titans’ trio Khobil Shapair (tekong), Lutfi Asiman (feeder) and Azwan Yahya (striker) got off to a bright start when they stormed home to win the first set, 21-11. However, in the second set, Titans lost foot in the game and squandered a host of chances gifting the Warriors’ trio Khairul Hisham Yusoff (tekong), Aidil Aiman Azwawi (feeder) and Naim Izani Noor (striker) a 21-13 win.

Khobil was taken off late in the second set after sustaining an injury and his replacement, Afiq Adnan failed to shine forcing Ezzat Zaki, coach of Malacca Titans to bring on Khobil after undergoing treatment.

Titans failed to pick themselves up in the tie-breaker in which Warriors increased the tempo of the match and eventually going on to win 21-12 after dominating for most part of the set.

After today’s win, Warriors now sit in 5^th place, pushing Titans down to 6^th, going into the 2 week-break of the season.

Warriors coach, Rozi Rahman praised his team’s efforts and fighting spirit to comeback to win the match after losing the first set.

“There have been a series of ups and downs in our past matches and after today, we are more than happy with the result after being able to bounce back from Friday’s defeat to Kedah Eagles,” said the 43-year-old.

He added, that the 2-week break could not have come at a perfect time as this will provide his team the chances to reflect on their previous performances and to work on improving their strengths before the season resumes.

However, Ezzat was adamant that his team is not in crisis after failing to win since their opening match against ATM Guardians early October.

“There is still much hope even after today’s result as there is still a long way more to go before the season concludes. I wouldn’t say my team is in crisis however there is still a lot of work more to be done and this 2-week break will be a great advantage for us work hard in training,” said the 41-year-old hailing from Penang.

In the day’s second match, Johor Tigris failed to take advantage of Penang Black Panther’s loss on Saturday when they fell at the hands of Kedah Eagles 2-1.

Tigers’ trio of Haidzir Rashid (tekong), Lutfil Azmi (feeder) and Norhafizi Razak (striker) stunned the Eagles in the first set to win, 21-18.

Eagles’ determination and mental strength proved to be the difference when captain, Zuleffendi Sumari (feeder) led his teammates (Nazirul Akram Razali (tekong) and Shahrol Nizam Romli (striker) to come back to win 21-19 in the second set and again with the same scoreline in the tie-breaker.

This result will see Eagles move into the third spot while Tigers drop to fourth until the season resumes back in November.

Results:

Sunday (16 October 2016):

Kelantan Warriors vs Malacca Titans 2-1 (11-21, 21-13, 21-12)

Kedah Eagles vs Johor Tigris 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 21-19)

Petaling BC takes Junior Purple League 2016 Crown

Last year’s Junior Purple League champions Petaling BC successfully defended their title as they beat Puchong United 13-8 at the Challenger Sports Centre, Ampang earlier today.

However, they fell to a surprising defeat in their final match to hosts Ampang Jaya BC 7-13. The loss definitely took some shine off a wonderful performance throughout the entire league as they were the only unbeaten team going into the final round of matches.

“From the very beginning our aim was to be defending champions and today we achieved that goal. It is a formality for a seasoned club like ours and we are proud to be setting an example for other clubs in terms of youth player development,” said Petaling’s head coach, Yap Kim Hock.

When asked about Petaling’s secret to success, Kim Hock said that his team has just the right amount of quality and even added that his squad is more balanced than the other teams in the league.

“We have strong players in Leong Jun Hao in boys’ singles, Chen Tang Jie who is strong in doubles action while we have a good mixture of import players, as seen in our female Thai single player, Chasinee Korepap,” said Kim Hock.

“And we are happy to achieve this success with more local players in our side, proving that we are heading to the right direction,” added the former Olympic silver medallist.

The win put Ampang Jaya at fourth while debutants BU Dragons BC finished strongly at third position after they trounced an already relegated side, Bangsar Hawks 15-2. Kepong BC defeated Cheras BC 11-8 in a must win match to secure a second place finish.

Muar BC leapfrogged over Puchong United BC to fifth after the Johor side defeated Puchong 13-6 while Serdang BC beat second from bottom, Petaling Jaya BC 9-6.

Meanwhile Bandar Maharani BC was crowned champions of the inaugural Division 2 season as they wrapped up the campaign with a 13-7 win over Tebrau City BC.

“I am proud of my players and the performances they put in throughout the season. I am glad that we will be playing in Division 1 next season,” said Bandar Maharani’s head coach, Yap Kim Heng.

Kim Heng who is also the team owner added that his team’s success is down to early preparations while also crediting his players for constantly improving their performances as the season goes on.

“I hope that my players can learn something from this season as the standard of the JPL is always improving. I hope my players can learn from this experience and I hope to also retain most of my players for next season,” said Kim Heng.

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Rawang BC beat PD Putra BC 11-10 to remain as runners-up while Georgetown BC beat Desa Petaling BC 14-4 to finish at third spot. The Penang team put together a string of good wins to achieve that feat as they were once as low as eighth in the league. Bukit Cheras BC’s 14-5 win over a hapless Rawang City BC ensured that Rawang City remain bottom of the league.

Division 2 Round 9 Results

Bukit Cheras BC bt Rawang City BC (14-5)

BS: Low Eu Cong bt Yap Yi Jie 3-0 (11-2, 11-7, 11-8)

GS: Yang Ying Qi bt Yeoh Zi Xuan 3-1 (11-4, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9)

BD: Ong Wei Jian-Tam Tong Pei bt Low Kwok Seng-Yeoh Ting Wei 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-10, 11-4)

GD: Low Chi Yeng-Ting Ee Chin lost to Tang Wen Xin-Yap Karman 2-3 (11-7, 7-11, 4-11, 11-9, 8-11)

XD: Shally Wong-Ter Chun Wei bt Alicia Yeap Yan Lyn-Goh Kin Weng 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-4)

Georgetown BC bt Desa Petaling BC (14-4)

BS: Choong Hon Jian bt Khoo Dickson 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-1)

GS: Kong Yi Jin bt Low Yeen Yuan 3-0 (11-9, 11-10, 11-5)

BD: Chng Choo Han-Ng Eng Cheong lost to Lai Jian Hwa-Leong Wei Lun 2-3 (9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 6-11, 5-11)

GD: Lim Chen Yen-Lim Jie Ying bt Chong Yoong Yi-Isabel Liau Bei Yi 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-6)

XD: Lee Shun Yang-Lim Jing Ning bt Ho Lo Ee-Tan Foo Hau 3-1 (11-10, 11-10, 9-11, 11-8)

Rawang BC bt PD Putra BC (11-10)

BS: Lim Yik Fong bt Neville Baptist Nosius Luaran 3-2 (11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4)

GS: Kasturi Radhakrishnan bt Myisha Mohd Khairul 3-0 (11-10, 11-9, 11-7)

BD: Boon Xin Yuan-Muhammad Umar Al-Qhattab           bt Chung Kin Wai-Shaun Wong Yau Xiang 3-2 (11-10, 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-10)

GD: Tan Hui Lyn-Zarra Faza Azka lost to Kisona Selvaruday-Seah Lin @ Chai Lin 1-3 (9-11, 11-8, 2-11, 9-11)

XD: Rizal May Umaryadi-Tabita Christian lost to Chang Yong Wei-Mohamad Rausyan Shah 1-3 (5-11, 8-11, 11-7, 10-11)

Bandar Maharani BC bt Tebrau City BC (13-7)

BS: Weeraphat Phakjarung bt Yap Roy King 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 10-11, 11-8)

GS: Go Pei Kee lost to Thinaah Muralitharan 1-3 (4-11, 11-5, 3-11, 3-11)

BD: Lee Yi Bo-Wong Tien Ci bt Andrew Ng Jia Jun-Kho Yap Hong 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9)

GD: Nathakorn Jarareree-Thanyathorn Thamnopakao bt Wang Szu Min-Wei Wan Yi 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9)

XD: Kelly Siow Zhi Xin-Seddrick Alwyn Gun Salam bt Ng Zheng-Wong Kelly 3-1 (11-1, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9)

Division 1 Round 9 Results 

Kepong BC bt Cheras BC (11-8)

BS: Kok Jing Hong lost to Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin 1-3 (11-5, 10-11, 10-11, 6-11)

GS: Silprakob Suphapich bt Ng Wan Win 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7)

BD: Helmie Zulhaidee Zulman-Tee Kai Wun lost to Ameer Amri Zainuddin-Mohd Syazmil Idham 1-3 (11-10, 9-11, 9-11, 5-11)

GD: Chu Ai Chia-Gan Jing Err bt Apriani Rahayu-Dyvylyn Saha Davincy Saha 3-0 (Walkover)

XD: Muhd Nuraidil Adha-Pearly Tan Kong Le bt Izzati Nur Nadiah Abd. Wahid-Mohd Najmi Kamarudin 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-6)

BU Dragons BC bt Bangsar Hawk BC (15-2)

BS: K. Jhotiswaran bt Muhd Nurfirdaus Azman 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8)

GD: Chonnicha Charoenwat-Thanapim Kaweenuntavong bt Lim Mei Chen-Yong Kah Man 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-2)

GS: K. Letshanaa bt Nur Syaza Roshidi 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6)

BD: Leong Jun Kai-Sim Fong Hau bt Borkum Master Nakarin-Lye Jun Cheng 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-9)

XD: Marisa Vania Liske Teneh-Raynald Tangguh Hartanto bt Chin Xing Yi-Goh Zhong Rui 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-6)

Serdang BC bt Petaling Jaya BC (9-6)

BS: Lee Zi Jia bt Labieb Muhzafar Lakamagi 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-5)

GS: Teoh Le Xuan bt Valeree Siow Zi Yuan 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-10)

BD: Soh Wooi Yik-Wu Song Jian bt Ryan Lim Wen Yang-Yew Wei Chun 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-7)

GD: Chang Yu Hsuan-Lo Pei Tzu lost to Lee Zhi Qing-Toh Ee Wei 0-3 (8-11, 9-11, 10-11)

XD: Lim Ru Guat-Lim Sang Hoe lost to A. Cheerandeev-V. Dharshine 0-3 (5-11, 10-11, 4-11)

Ampang Jaya BC bt Petaling BC (13-7)

BS: Tan Jia Wei bt Leong Jun Hao 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 3-11, 11-6)

GS: Wang Zhi Yi bt Chasinee Korepap 3-1 (5-11, 11-10, 11-8, 11-10)

BD: Tan Kok Xian-Tang Xin bt Kwek Yee Jian-Man Wei Chong 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7)

GD: Anna Cheong-Eng Sin Jou bt Loh Bao Ying-Wanida Buapa 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-9)

XD: Ching Kai Feng-Desiree Siow lost to Chen Tang Jie-Tew Jia Jia 1-3 (7-11, 11-6, 2-11, 8-11)     

Muar BC bt Puchong United BC (13-6)

BS: Muhmmad Shafiq Iqbal bt Yap Qar Siong 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-10)

GS: Aimsaard Nuntakarn bt Eoon Qi Xuan 3-1 (9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8)          

BD: Izzat Farhan Azhar-Muhd Norzaihani Hafizi lost to Lu Ming Che-Yang Chun Hsien 1-3 (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 4-11)

GD: Aimsaard Benyapa-Kam Wei Li bt Ng Qi Xuan-Yu Chieh 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)

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XD: Erica Hoh Ji Ling-V. Roobenral bt Hoe Shi Yun-Jacky Lok Ken Seng 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8)