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Radha has chance to create sports history BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Radha has chance to create sports history

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:05 PM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 4, 2013, Wednesday

KUCHING: Local sports history will be made with the possibility of the first Sarawakian male to be included in the national kabaddi team.

The national team is currently preparing for the 2014 Asian Games qualification rounds.

State coach Ganisan Punisamy is among many in the local kabaddi fraternity who believes Radha Krishnan Subramaniam can make it.

"Two Sarawak players were called last week to join the (national) selection process held at Bukit Saujana School, Sri Petaling but we only sent Radha as we believe he has got what it takes," he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

There were close calls in the past as a few Sarawak players were called up but none ever made the final cut.

Ganisan said Radha is in a different class.

"Should he be selected, he will be a great addition to the national squad. He has that strong hunger and will go the extra mile just to win matches," he added.

The Sarawak men's kabaddi team did well enough to qualify for the quarter finals at this year's Sukma thanks to a resilient display and teamwork spearheaded by Radha.

Sarawak Kabaddi Association (SKA) president Ramachandran Ramasamy also have high hopes for Radha to be selected.

According to him, Radha is the best men's kabaddi player that the state has produced so far.

"I am sure the national team scouts have watched him play last July during Sukma. He has got all the qualities of a national player," he added.

Radha will, however, not be the first Sarawakian to play for the national kabaddi team as state female players have appeared for the national women's team in the past.

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Sabah ruggers trounce Sarawak in Agong’s Cup qualifier

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:03 PM PST

by Philip Wong, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 4, 2013, Wednesday

SIBU: Sarawak Rugby Union (SRU) team returned from their Sabah trip heavily battered and bruised after losing to their neighbouring counterparts 19-43 in the qualifying round for the Agong's Cup held at Likas Stadium recently.

SRU chief coach Michael Ting admitted that it was a disappointing outing, especially when his team were rated as the favourite.

"We must admit that Sabah Rugby Union is a better team, more organized and they had a rich crop of experienced players who had played in bigger tournaments. Their team has all the hallmarks of the champion team in the making. We wish them all the best in the Agong's Cup," he said.

With the defeat, Sarawak's hopes of representing the East Zone at the Agong's Cup, to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 10, evaporated.

The last time Sarawak took part in the Agong's Cup was seven years ago.

On his team's defeat, Ting narrowed it down to his players who were mostly young recruits or fresh school leavers up against the bigger and powerfully built Sabahans.

"Our players lacked the expertise, the stamina and the experience to pull through. Moreover, they (Sabahans) also had three Fijian imports while we only had one in the person of Iowane Sovatabua," he added.

Nevertheless, the Sarawak boys did manage to keep their opponents at bay in the first half when they secured a try and a conversion to trail 7-16.

"We missed two precious opportunities midway through the second half when our forwards managed to penetrate the Sabah defense only to lose the ball when the touchdown was within reach. It blew away our chances of any comeback," Ting lamented.

On future plans, Ting said "We are also looking into the possibility of getting more import players from Fijian to boost our squad. We are eyeing for more honors and titles next year and we need to prepare early."

The players, he added, would also have to train more consistently and with a longer training schedule instead of the current practice whereby the players only train together during the final two days.

"We will set things right and the priority will be on the training schedule. All the shortcomings will be looked into and we hope this will further upgrade the standard of SRU players."

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Kuching teams top S’wak Futsal Cup

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:02 PM PST

by Anthony Aga, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 4, 2013, Wednesday

SARIKEI: Kuching teams dominated the 2013 Sarawak Cup Futsal tournament as they staged a derby final in both the men's and women's category.

Kuching's War's 15 eventually lifted the men's title after defeating Bandaraya Ku 5 – 3. Veloc City team of Samarahan settled in third place after beating FBSB Miri in the match for the two defeated semi-finalists.

Champions War's 15 walked home with the cash prize of RM5,000 and the challenge trophy.

In women's competition, Bandaraya Ku emerged as champion after overcoming UiTM in the final.

Melda FC of Samarahan was third after defeating Highlander team of Miri.

The women's champions received RM4,000 prize money.

The championship, which attracted 21 men's and 19 women's teams, was held at the Ministry of Social Development Indoor Stadium from Nov 29 to Dec 1.

Prizes were given away by Jemoreng state assemblyman Abu Seman Jahwie, who is also a political secretary to the Chief Minister.

Among those present were at the closing were Sarawak Football Association vice president Razali Dolhan, Bintulu Football Association president Duke Janting, YWP general manager Gordon Chew and Sarikei Football Association deputy president Awangku Perseh Pengiran Abu Bakar who is also deputy chairman of the State Futsal and Beach Football Committee.

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Worries for Myanmar as competition starts

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:01 PM PST

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Empty seats and security concerns top the list of worries as Myanmar gears up for the Southeast Asian Games, the biggest sports event ever held in the former pariah state.

Thousands of athletes, officials, fans and media will converge for the Games, which are slowly getting under way ahead of the opening ceremony on Dec 11.

Two years after the end of military rule and the lifting of Western sanctions, Myanmar is hoping to shine in the international spotlight during the 22-day event.

But officials are also keen to avoid the spectacle of empty venues in the new national capital, Naypyidaw, and any security threat from Myanmar's various rebel groups.

Logistical hurdles also loom including an expected lack of hotel rooms to accommodate the expected 6,000 athletes and 3,000 media, plus officials and fans.

While not quite on the scale of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China's bold statement of arrival, the Games mark an important moment for Myanmar's image and prestige.

Myanmar, a founding member of the competition, has not played host since 1969, since when its deteriorating economy has forced it to take a back seat.

The country is now desperate to put on a good show for its neighbours at the tournament, which is held every two years and is one of the region's sporting highlights.

As final preparations continued around Naypyidaw, the capital built under military rule, Vice President Nyan Tun called on athletes to "strive for a golden age of Myanmar sports".

He said the onus was on "improving the reputation of the country and making history to be regarded as sporting heroes", according to an official release.

Myanmar is one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, with about a third of the population of in poverty, meaning expectations are set reasonably low.

But Myanmar will hope to improve on the last edition in Indonesia in 2011, which was plagued by corruption and delays and finished with a deadly stampede among fans at the men's football final.

Chief among organisers' concerns will be flare-ups in ethnic unrest after bomb blasts and clashes in parts of the country in recent weeks.

"Thousands of athletes and officials and also thousands of fans will come," a senior police official told AFP.

"Although we tried our best for security with enough numbers, I'm a little bit nervous."

Organisers have tried to fill seats at the brand-new venues in Naypyidaw ("Royal City of the Sun") by offering free tickets for all events apart from football.

However, with residents in short supply at the sprawling and far-flung capital, whose huge boulevards are often devoid of traffic, swathes of empty seats are likely.

And although officials insist preparations are complete, worries persist over how Myanmar will accommodate all the visitors.

"Hotel rooms cannot be enough because many foreigners and many visitors will come," a government official, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

"Tens of thousands of people will join the events. Hopefully everything can be done smoothly. Cooperation between ministries is very weak," he said.

Naypyidaw will host most of the Games, while the former capital Yangon, 300 kilometres south, has men's football, body-building, weightlifting and kempo, a martial art.

Competition is already under way in an eclectic roster which ranges from Olympic staples such as swimming and athletics to home-grown disciplines all but unknown outside the region.

Chinlone, a Myanmar sport involving delicate foot control of a wicker ball, is one of the opening events, as is the Indonesian-origin martial art of pencak silat.

Vovinam, an acrobatic Vietnamese fighting sport, is another on the list and among the 460 gold medals on offer, 11 are for petanque, a legacy of French colonialism in the region.

For the formal opening ceremony on December 11, up to 30,000 spectators including heads of state will be present at Naypyidaw's Wunna Theikdi Stadium. — AFP

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Title burden sits well with Liverpool boss

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insisted his side can cope with the growing expectancy at Anfield as he urged them to return to winning ways against Norwich City.

The Reds have been labelled as potential Champions League qualifiers, and even outside Premier League title contenders after an impressive start to the campaign.

Liverpool suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat by Hull City in their last Premier League outing after a lacklustre display at the KC Stadium, which acted as a stark reminder that Rodgers's side are far from the finished article.

The Reds have never lost two league games in succession since the Northern Irishman was appointed, though, and he backed his players to respond positively against Norwich on Wednesday.

"The expectancy here is to win every game," Rodgers said. "That's the reality of being a Liverpool player or manager. Over the course of this year, we've been very good.

"We've upgraded on a lot of parts of our performance that we wanted to do. We've got an exciting team.

"In the time I've been here, we've never lost two games on the spin, and that's really down to the positivity of the players and how they can bounce back and recover after a defeat.

"You can't dwell on it. You've got to refocus and reset and go again, and that's what we will look to do.

"I always have to look at the bigger picture and, for me, the bigger picture is still very bright. We just need to get over the disappointment – which we will do. We can cope with the pressure here."

Rodgers is poised to include Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho in his starting line-up after he played just under 30 minutes in the 3-1 defeat against Hull City but striker Daniel Sturridge (ankle) has been ruled out for six weeks.

"Coutinho allows you to penetrate – I think that was one of the things that was missing from our performance (against Hull)," Rodgers added.

"We were too slow and too predictable. Then when he came onto the pitch, people started to run beyond and get forward because he plays the forward pass.

"Daniel is going to be out for a period of time, but we'll cope. It's the responsibility of everyone. We can't rely on one player – it has to be about the team and that's what we'll focus on.

"The responsibility is for the people coming in and for the rest of the team. We have to find a different way of getting the result and I'm confident, as I see enough of the players every day, to know that we will fight in order to do that." — AFP

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Sarawak eye foreign trio to strengthen Super League campaign

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:50 AM PST

KUCHING: Sarawak is close to signing a deal with three import players to play for next year's Super League.

According to head coach Robert Alberts, the trio had impressed during trials conducted by the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) last week.

Former Portsmouth defender Gabor Gyepes, Iranian international striker Alireza Abbasfard and former PSV Eindhoven Academy striker Ronald Hikspoors might soon don the red and black of Sarawak if all goes well with on-going negotiations.

Alberts is reported to be interested in the trio as they fit the criteria he was looking for.

"They have the qualities to adapt well to the local football atmosphere and I think they can be a hit with the fans once they become Sarawak players," he said.

The combination of the trio with current import Bosnian Muamer Salibasic have the potential to make Sarawak a force to be reckoned with in the 2014 Super League.

Meanwhile, Alberts also congratulated Junior Eldstal for winning the Most Promising Player award at the recent 2013 National Football Awards.

Since arriving in Sarawak from England, the young midfielder has set the local football scene buzzing, earning himself a call-up with the Malaysian national team.

The Crocs will be leaving for a series of friendly matches in Indonesia from Dec 7-20.

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