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Ashri Chuchu rises to the occasion in SEA Games BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Ashri Chuchu rises to the occasion in SEA Games

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 11:04 AM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 19, 2013, Thursday

KUCHING: Sarawak's Ashri Chuchu continues to impress with his fine form at the current SEA Games in Myanmar.

He proved instrumental again in helping the national team qualify for the semi-finals of the football competition by scoring the opening goal in Malaysia's 2-1 defeat of Vietnam last Tuesday.

Malaysia will face Indonesia in the last four today.

In his latest post in social media, the consumate team player shared his joy with fans and rallied his teammates on the task ahead.

"For us, it was a good job well done. We are all grateful that Malaysia have qualified to the semi-finals," he added.

Born in Lawas, the flanker first join the Sarawak senior team in 2009.

After his impressive performance for the Crocs in the 2012 Super League, he earned his first call-up to play for the national Under-23 squad in March last year.

Sarawak head coach Robert Alberts played a role in that assignment as he had recommended Ashri to National Under-23 coach Datuk Ong
Kim Swee.

Ashri's rise came to a halt in July 2012 when he was seriously injured in a Super League match against the Terengganu T-team.

The injury forced him to miss the entire 2013 Premier League season, only to make a few appearances in Sarawak's run to the semi-finals of the recent Malaysia Cup campaign.

His return from injury and fine form is certainty good news to local fans and a good omen for Sarawak in the coming 2014 Super League season.

At a dinner last Tuesday, Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) president Datu Sudarsono Osman spoke for many when he expressed the hope for Sarawak to produce more players of Ashri's calibre in the future.

"We are simply proud of him. I hope that young and aspiring footballers here in Sarawak will see him as a role model," he said.

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Tough going for wushu as Sarawak plans for Sukma

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 09:40 AM PST

by Ting Tieng Hee, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 19, 2013, Thursday

KUCHING: It will be tough for Sarawak to defend its strong reputation in wushu competition at Sukma XVIII in Perlis next year.

This is because the squad will comprise new faces except for three exponents from the Sukma XVI squad Liew Lik Kee, Andy Chan Song Cong and Amelia Su Leh Wern.

"It will be a very big challenge to defend the title we won in Pahang in 2012 as the gold medallists like Gjeblehem Bong Teck Fuu, Bryan Sony Lah, Ho Jong Xian and Kimberly Goh will not be eligible as they are over-aged," said WFS head coach James Ting.

Sarawak won seven gold, seven silver and three bronze medals in the 2012 Pahang Sukma.

Ting, who is also Wushu Federation of Sarawak (WFS) deputy president, is concerned with the absence of these gold medallists and the keen competition from other states.

"Melaka, Pulau Pinang and Negeri Sembilan will be our stiffest opponents and to win gold medals against the national exponents from these states will be an uphill task," he added.

Sarawak now has three exponents Diana Bong Siong Lin, Loh Jack Chang and Gjeblehem Bong in the national squad but they are all over-aged for Sukma competition.

Moreover, Ting said, host Perlis have not stated how many events will the national exponents be allowed to compete in.

WFS will be conducting a selection trial at the end of this month to select six male and six female exponents for the state wushu squad.

"At present, we have 23 exponents in the Sukma Shadow Team and after 12 exponents have been selected, they will undergo a one-month intensive training stint in China next February," he said.

On the problem of the vacant Chinese foreign coach, Ting said WFS had already submitted a request to engage a new coach from China.

Ting added the other major problem is that WFS is still waiting for the approval from the state government on the application of a piece of land in Samarahan to build its wushu centre.

"We had submitted the application two years ago and until now there is no news on the matter," he lamented.

The National Sports Council (MSN) has already agreed to set up a national wushu training centre in Sarawak but this plan has been delayed as the approval of the land application to build the wushu centre was not forthcoming.

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Scott, Tiger and company serve up tasty 2013

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 09:39 AM PST

LOS ANGELES: Like an enticing chocolate box offering an exquisite array of pralines, truffles, fudge and liqueurs, global golf gave its fans just about everything they might have wanted during a riveting and unpredictable 2013.

The quality and variety of golfing 'confectionary' was exceptional and, with Tiger Woods's remarkable dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s now a fading memory, confirmed that the sport's strength in depth has never been better.

Adam Scott ended decades of Australian heartache with his country's first US Masters victory and left-hander Phil Mickelson pulled off a sensational triumph at the British Open, the one major that had always seemed the unlikeliest for him to win.

England's Justin Rose finally lived up to the lofty expectations long heaped upon his shoulders by clinching the US Open and 'ordinary looking' Jason Dufner, known for his ultra-laidback demeanour and pre-shot waggle, struck a chord with club players everywhere by winning the US PGA Championship.

American Jim Furyk became only the sixth player to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour (at the BMW Championship) and Swede Henrik Stenson ended a brilliant year as the first man to land both the European Tour's Race To Dubai title and FedExCup playoff honours in the United States.

World number one Woods failed to add to his major tally of 14, despite being in the mix at both the Masters and British Open, but he triumphed a season-high five times on the PGA Tour before being voted Player of the Year for a record 11th time.

Rory McIlroy, his heir apparent as the game's leading player, ended a turbulent 2013 campaign on and off the course with victory at the Australian Open and will now aim to build on that as he attempts to regain his brilliant 2012 form.

McIlroy, who had won two majors by the age of 24 but then struggled after changing his equipment manufacturer in January and having to cope with legal distractions, knows as well as anyone how strong competition has become at the highest level.

"You've got to play really well to win now," the Northern Irishman said.

"That's why you see so many first-time winners because the fields are so deep. It is tough to win out here."

Underlining the strength in depth is the fact that 19 different players have combined to win the last 21 major championships.

Scott put his name on that list in April with a high-quality playoff victory over Argentina's Angel Cabrera at the Masters, sealing his win in rain-soaked conditions with a 15-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.

"Australia is a proud sporting nation and this is one notch in the belt that we never got," said Scott who ended the year as world number two after narrowly missing out on a rare Australian 'triple crown' following wins in November at his national PGA and Masters.

"It's amazing that it came down to me," he added, referring to his Masters victory.

In June, Rose produced remarkable poise and a Ben Hogan-like finish to claim his first major title by two shots at the US Open after overhauling 54-hole leader Mickelson in the final round.

Rose closed with a level-par 70 in difficult scoring conditions at Merion Golf Club, posting a one-over total of 281 to become the first Englishman to win the year's second major since Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine in 1970.

"I established a game plan that really held true for me," said Rose. "It's been a perfect week, start to finish."

One month later 43-year-old Mickelson produced one of the greatest ever closing rounds at a major, firing a five-under-par 66 in cool and breezy conditions to win the British Open at Muirfield by three shots.

"To play probably the best round of my career is probably the most fulfilling moment of my career because it is something I thought I would never do here (at a British Open)," an emotional Mickelson said after landing his fifth major title.

The following month Dufner added his name to the growing number of first-time major winners, clinching a two-shot victory in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club after closing with a two-under 68.

"I can't believe this is happening to me," Dufner said after being presented with the coveted Wanamaker Trophy.

"It's a big step for my career."

Woods described his 2013 campaign as "fantastic", even though he has come up empty-handed in the four majors since his remarkable playoff victory in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

"I feel like I've improved this year more than I did over the previous year," the 14-times major champion told Reuters.

"I think it was a fantastic year, unfortunately I didn't win a major championship.

"I was close at the Masters (tied for fourth) and the British (Open where he shared sixth place). A couple of little swings here and there and it might have been a different story.

"But I won the Players (Championship) at a venue (Sawgrass) where I have struggled over the years … to win five times and get Player of the Year again, that feels pretty good."

Though Woods ended the year winless in the majors, perhaps the most surprising aspect of his season was that he was three times given two-shot penalties for rules violations (at the Abu Dhabi Championship, Masters and BMW Championship in Chicago).

Stenson capped a magnificent year with a six-shot victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to top the European Tour order of merit and 21-year-old Hideki Matsuyama became the first rookie to claim the Japanese Tour's money title after winning five times in 2013. — AFP

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Bayern brush past Guangzhou to reach world club final

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 09:38 AM PST

AGADIR, Morocco: European champions Bayern Munich booked their place in the Club World Cup final with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande in Tuesday's semi-final in Agadir.

Goals by France winger Franck Ribery, Croatia's Mario Mandzukic and Germany star Mario Goetze saw the German giants through to Saturday's final in Marrakech, Morocco.

"We totally dominated and we wanted to reach the final to spare ourselves the third-place play-off," said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.

"We want the title, that is our task here."

Likewise, Ribery insisted Bayern did not come to north Africa to see the sights.

"We're in the final, we're professionals and we want to win in Morocco," he said.

Bayern will face the winners of Wednesday's other semi-final between Morocco's Raja Casablanca and Brazil's Atletico Mineiro.

Already twice a winner of the Club World Cup title with his former club Barcelona, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola is on course for a third global crown as his German champions swept aside Marcello Lippi's Guangzhou.

Having become the first German team to win the treble of European, Bundesliga and domestic cup titles, Bayern are closing in on their fifth title of 2013 having won UEFA's Super Cup by beating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out in August.

But Guardiola made a point of praising predecessor Jupp Heynckes who coached the treble-winning team, breaking or equalling 25 Bundesliga records in the process.

"Jupp deserves to be here, to reach the final is a huge achievement, but you only get here by winning a lot of matches and some big tournaments," said Guardiola.

"He steered Bayern to the Champions League title last season, so this is for him.

"Marcello Lippi's teams are always well organised, but my side deserved to make the final."

Lippi, World Cup winning coach with Italy in 2006, said that the many different roles Bayern's players could fill and that all of them were capable of scoring was a crucial difference.

"There you see the real difference between the best club in the world and the rest," said the 65-year-old Italian.

"All their players can fill any position, and they were superior in all areas.

"We were not able to disrupt Bayern's game at all, that is why they are also the best team in the world."

Bayern began in dominant fashion and never let up at Agadir Stadium with Thiago hitting the post and Toni Kroos hitting the woodwork early on and it was only a matter of time before the Chinese defence buckled.

Goal-line technology, being showcased at the Club World Cup and set to be used at next year's World Cup finals in Brazil, clearly proved Kroos' 25th-minute shot, had bounced off the crossbar and onto the line, not over it.

Ribery, on the shortlist with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or, got the breakthrough Bayern craved when he drilled his shot past Guangzhou goalkeeper Zeng Cheng on 44 minutes.

A second followed four minutes later when Thiago swung in a pin-point cross across the goal face where Mandzukic finished it off with a diving header to make it 2-0 at the break.

With 47 minutes on the clock, Goezte put the result beyond doubt when he smashed in a long-range shot which gave Zeng no chance.

Despite enjoying around 70 per cent possession, Bayern did not let up and having built up a healthy lead, they peppered the Evergrande goal with 27 shots compared to the Chinese' two.

Having brought all available first-choice players to Morocco, injured pair Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben being the main exceptions, Guardiola kept both right winger Thomas Mueller and centre-back Dante in reserve for Saturday's final. — AFP

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Mourinho says Chelsea lack killer instinct

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 09:37 AM PST

LONDON: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was forced to recount a familiar tale as he bemoaned his team's latest failure to turn chances into goals after their 2-1 extra-time defeat by Sunderland in the League Cup on Tuesday.

"The quality of football we produced is amazing. We never lost a match because we didn't play or that the opponent was stronger, it's just we don't kill opponents and we give them life," Mourinho told Sky Sports after his team were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

"Every opponent knows they can score a goal (against us). We had fantastic chances to score and didn't score."

While Chelsea sit third in the Premier League and are safely through to the knockout stages in the Champions League, surprise recent results have forced the Mourinho on to the defensive about his team's chances of silverware.

Two defeats and a draw in their last seven Premier League matches as well as a double reverse against Swiss side Basel in Europe have turned the focus on the club's mis-firing strikers, Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto'o.

The trio have managed five league goals between them all season.

Eto'o was handed the responsibility for leading the line against Sunderland and wasted an excellent chance to double the lead in the second half when he side-footed wide with only the keeper to beat.

Asked why his current Chelsea team is not as ruthless as the one he had in his first spell with the club, Mourinho said: "I can't answer this question. I'm the manager of this team not the manager of the old team. We are not behind the old team, but in front in terms of quality.

"But football is about results and about scoring goals. There were many key moments not just one. We always wanted to go through in this competition but it wasn't a priority.

"We have to score goals and win matches, not (necessarily) to be best team in every game."

Chelsea have a testing run of fixtures over the festive period, travelling to league leaders Arsenal on Monday before hosting Swansea City and Liverpool. — Reuters

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