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Benching top local players disrupts national team BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Benching top local players disrupts national team

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 11:04 AM PST

KUCHING: The signing of too many national players by some teams in the Super League will adversely affect the performance of the national team says Sarawak coach Robert Alberts.

He said national players who had to play second fiddle to import players or compete among themselves would find it difficult to get into the first team.

Many would end up warming the bench which could shatter their morale and deprive them of match fitness when they play international matches.

Alberts said national players should be frequently in action to maintain their consistency and sharpness.

The Dutch coach was referring to several leading national players in the Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) squad who had been relegated to fringe players .

"Letting the best players rest on the bench is not good for the players and will have a negative effect on the national squad," Alberts told Bernama.

Alberts believed the national coach would be hard-pressed in preparing the team for international tournaments if the situation continued.

Commenting on the current Super League season which began last week, Alberts said he found the standard to be higher with the presence of many import players.

"It is interesting to see several teams racing to bring in high calibre players to strengthen their squads as only teams which are consistent will emerge champions," he said.

He tipped six teams, JDT, Kelantan, Armed Forces, Selangor, Lions XII and Pahang to the forerunners for the Super league title this season.

Alberts also did not rule out Sarawak giving the six teams a run for their money as he was targeting the state team to finish in the top six this season.

Sarawak who is the Premier League champions were defeated 0-2 in their first Super League match by Armed Forces at the Selayang Stadium in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

Alberts is keeping his fingers crossed that Muamer Saibasic, who injured his knee in the match and another injured import player, Junior Eldstal, would regain match fitness soon. — Bernama

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State kabaddi team achieve milestone in national level competition

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:39 AM PST

KUCHING: Sarawak kabaddi team notched a milestone in national level competition when they reached the semifinal of the MMU open tournament in Melaka last week.

Sarawak Kabaddi Association (SKA) president Ramachandran Ramasamy told The Borneo Post yesterday it was a significant achievement as kabaddi was only introduced to the state four years ago.

"They did well against teams which field seasoned players. We are proud of them."

The state team was placed in group B with two other teams, Sri Devi and the Johor state team.

They progressed to the next round finishing second in the group after defeating Johor 55-33 and losing 33-13 to Sri Devi.

In the quarter-finals, Sarawak beat Klang match 49-7 to enter the semi-final.

However in the semi-final they came up against last year's champion, Bukit Pelandok from Negeri Sembilan who thrashed them 45-27.

State coach Ganisan Punisamy, who prepared the team for the tournament, commented that
the tournament was a good indication of the state's future in the sport.

"Although many called us newbies, we show them that we were no pushovers," he added.

Ganisan noted that only four former Sukma players in the team had any experience in national level competition as the rest of the teams never had any exposure to top level contest.

He thanked the Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) and sponsors Kasumi Sports for their kind support.

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‘Stan’ stuns Djokovic in huge shock at Open

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:39 AM PST

MELBOURNE: Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka stunned three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open yesterday in a huge shock which threw the men's competition into flux.

The eighth seed triumphed after a pulsating five-set quarter-final which ran for exactly four hours and finished 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 when Djokovic volleyed out on the first match point.

It was a personal triumph for Wawrinka, 28, who took Djokovic the distance in last year's fourth round and was also denied by the Serb in another five-setter at the US Open.

Wawrinka's win halted Djokovic's 25-match winning streak at the Australian Open, which stretched back to 2011 and included 2012's record, six-hour final against Rafael Nadal.

It also snapped the six-time Grand Slam champion's sequence of 14 straight major semi-finals, and broke a 28-match unbeaten run dating back to the US Open final in September.

"Last year (at the Australian Open) I didn't finish it and it was really tough. But this year I came back, it's a new year and I was feeling really good," Wawrinka said.

"I tried everything, he's an amazing champion… I'm really, really, really, really happy."

Wawrinka, who was cramping by the end and headed straight for an ice bath, goes into his second Grand Slam semi-final where he will face Tomas Berdych after the Czech ousted third seed David Ferrer.

Li Na blazed past Flavia Pennetta to set up a last-four clash with emerging teen star Eugenie Bouchard, 19, who beat former world number one Ana Ivanovic.

But the earlier results were eclipsed by Wawrinka's great upset which ensures that a player from outside of the men's "Big Four" will contest the Melbourne final.

Djokovic bombed through the first set in just over half-an-hour but he stumbled in the second, and looked increasingly tight in the third, as Wawrinka took a two-sets-to-one lead.

The champion was tottering but just when he looked to be heading out against the increasingly confident Swiss, he broke for 5-3 in the fourth set, letting out a mighty yell to the heavens.

He sealed the set with an ace to take it into a fifth, where they exchanged early breaks and Wawrinka staved off another break point at 2-1 down with a titanic, 31-shot rally.

The decider stretched on until the 16th game when a Djokovic error gave Wawrinka a match point. And as the clock ticked over to four hours, the Serb's long reign crumbled when he put a volley out.

"He took his opportunities. He deserved this win today. I congratulate him absolutely. There is nothing I can say," Djokovic said. — AFP

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State hosts Asean Tourism Ministers friendly golf game at Damai

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:37 AM PST

KUCHING: The Asean Tourism Ministers' Friendly Golf game was held at Damai Golf and Country Club (DGCC) yesterday in conjunction with the ongoing Asean Tourism Forum (ATF).

On hand to play host to the visiting dignitaries was Minister of Social Development Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom who was accompanied by Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Tourism Datu Ik Pahon Joyik and Tourism Malaysia Director Dato Abdul Khani Daud.

The visiting golfers were impressed by the golf course and expressed hope to play there again in the future.

Meanwhile, DGCC general manager Zulkifli Othman announced that the club would be hosting the Mercedes Benz Malaysia (MBM) Mercedes Trophy Golf Competition on April 23 and also the BMW Golf Cup International on June 26.

"These two prestigious events would be held here for the first time and we are proud to be the hosting venue," he said on the coming events at the club which is also hosting this year's Sarawak Amateur Open Golf Championship from April 25 to 27.

"On top of that we will be hosting this year's Malaysia Amateur Open Golf Championship from May 22 to 25," he enthused on the calendar of events at DGCC.

Another international event to be held at the club will be the World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship (WAITGC) on Aug 27 and 28 which will attract top teams from all over the world.

Top senior golfers from throughout the country will also be coming here for the Malaysia Senior Society Golf Tournament to be held at DGCC on Sept 21.

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Minister launches Kuching Marathon website

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:37 AM PST

KUCHING: Distance running especially marathons can instill discipline among those who take it up and be a platform for developing a more civic conscious society says Minister of Tourism Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Discipline was much needed in our society as theft and destruction of public properties had cost the government dearly he noted.

"These crimes have caused the state government millions of ringgit in loses especially crimes which relates to metal thefts and vandalism," said Abang Johari when announcing the Kuching Marathon 2014 and launching the Kuching Marathon Association official website at Plaza Merdeka here yesterday.

He cited the theft of LED light cables at the Satok area as an example, Abang Johari said that the government had to fork out RM2.3 million to replace the stolen cables to ensure that the area remained lighted for the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF).

The association's president Wong Chen Yi who also spoke disclosed that the marathon would be held on Aug 17 and runners could fill the entry forms online via the new website.

"The 42 KM run is an international standard event," said Wong adding that other categories includes the 5KM run, 10KM run and 21KM run.He added the date chosen would not coincide with other major events such as the Borneo International Marathon in May, KL Marathon in June, Penang Bridge International Marathon in Nov and the Singapore Marathon in Dec.

Also present at the launch was Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) Mayor Datuk Abang Wahap Abang Julai, Plaza Merdeka managing director Datuk Steve Ng and India Street Pedestrian mall committee chairman Dato Wee Hong Seng.

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Impressive Li sweeps into semis

Posted: 21 Jan 2014 08:36 AM PST

Li books date with teen star Bouchard as Berdych fights off Ferrer in last eight

MELBOURNE: China's Li Na demolished Flavia Pennetta as she swept impressively into the Australian Open semi-finals and a date with precocious teen star Eugenie Bouchard yesterday.

As Tomas Berdych finally ended his Rod Laver Arena jinx with a four-sets win over David Ferrer, Li looked odds-on to reach a third Melbourne final after tearing past fellow veteran Pennetta.

The Chinese world number four pummelled winners past the Italian as she broke five
times and won 62 points to just 37 for her opponent in the 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Li, seeking her second Grand Slam title, is peaking at the right time, with the 67-minute mauling coming after she smashed past Ekaterina Makarova in less than an hour on Sunday.

It followed a verbal volley by coach Carlos Rodriguez after her struggles in the third round, when she was taken to three sets and saved a match point against Lucie Safarova.

"After I saved match point (against Safarova) I have got better, I got a lot of confidence from that and I believed in myself," said the 2011 French Open champion.

"I feel good, I always play well here and I hope I can take one more step this year."

Li, 31, will be hot favourite to reach Saturday's final although she faces a new challenge from 19-year-old Bouchard, who announced herself on the world stage by stunning Ana Ivanovic.

Despite a gulf in experience and rankings, the Canadian world number 31, aggressively took the fight to former world number one Ivanovic, now ranked 14th.

Even after going a set down, she kept the pressure on the injury-affected 2008 French Open champion and won 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the Australian semi-final at her first attempt.

It was the biggest win of her career – but the super-cool blonde, whose looks and poise will have sponsors queuing for her signature, took it all in her stride.

"It's something I've been doing since I was five years old and working my whole life for and sacrificing a lot of things for," she shrugged.

"So it's not exactly a surprise. I always expect myself to do well. I'm just happy to have gone through this step. I'm not done. I have a match on Thursday. I'm just looking forward to that."

Bouchard's instant success in Melbourne contrasts with Berdych, who finally reached the last four at his 11th attempt, and celebrated his first-ever win at Rod Laver Arena, the centre court.

The 28-year-old seventh seed was never headed against
Ferrer but he had to fight hard to prevent a comeback by the tenacious world number three, winning 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in just over three hours.

"It is always an extremely tough and physical match with David and after losing the third set I was not playing my best and it was the only set where I was a bit up and down," Berdych said.

"After that I tried to refocus on my game… (after) one very tough game on my serve in the fourth, I then made a break and that proved decisive."

Berdych, who has now reached the semi-final or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments, will next face defending champion Novak Djokovic or Stanislas Wawrinka, who were contesting the night match. — AFP

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