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Meradong beat Mukah in four-set thriller BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Meradong beat Mukah in four-set thriller

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:23 AM PDT

by Philip Wong reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on July 28, 2014, Monday

SIBU: Defending champion Sibu A team easily topped Group A but it was the Meradong team who stole the limelight as they upset last year's runner-up Mukah 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-14) )to top Group B in the Sarawak Open Volleyball Championship at Rejang Park Volleyball Stadium.

Mukah thus finished second in Group B, after earlier 3-0 wins over Sibu B and Bintulu 3-0 while Kuching took second spot in Group A, also beating Limbang and Miri 3-0 each.

The stage is set for the semi-final showdown between Sibu A and Mukah and Meradong against Kuching scheduled for late yesterday evening.

"It was a line up according to script and the tournament is getting more and more interesting," a source from the volleyball fraternity here said.

There is little to separate Sibu A, Meradong and Mukah as all three title contenders have several former national and state players in their respective line-up.

In Group A final round tie between Sibu and Limbang yesterday, Sibu rested former national player Pang Sii Chuong but still wrapped up the match within 40 minutes winning 25-13, 25-10, 25-12.

All eyes were on the Meradong-Mukah showdown in the final Group B match as both teams vied to top the group and avoid tournament favorite Sibu A in the semi-finals.

The first set showed how the match could have gone either way. Mukah started off strongly but Meradong, marshaled by former national players Moh Hing Shin and Yew Yii Hock, responded to surge to an early lead at 8-4.

Meradong's Tang Chee Hong and Sim Ming Whuang were also in their element and their precise spiking limited Mukah's chances for any counter-attack.

Meradong led 24-21 but Mukah crawled their way back to level at 24-24, thrilling the audience.

Service changed hands twice before Meradong eventually took the first game 27-25.

Mukah recovered quickly in the second game and it was point for point to 14-14 before they edged ahead 21-16, 23-18 and finally won 25-20. Their second set win could be attributed to good coordination and attack led by state spiker Anderson Chan.

A reshuffled line-up appeared to work for Meradong in the third game. They managed to thwart Mukah's resurgence with a 25-21 advantage.

Mukah dug deep in the fourth game to lead 7-6 but that was the furthest they could go as Meradong players, notably Yii Hock and Ming Whuang, went on a scoring spree to seal victory at 25-14.

The playoff match for 3rd & 4th placings will be held at 9am, to be followed by the final match at 10.15am and the closing ceremony at 11.30am today.

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Sibu boys, girls win openers

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:21 AM PDT

KUCHING: Defending champions Sibu signalled they are serious about retaining their titles after posting opening victories in the men's and women's competition at the 2nd Sarawak Inter-Division Under-17 Basketball Championship in Miri last Saturday.

Sibu, who met Miri in the third match of the day, broke through the century mark to hammer their opponents 102-32 for their first win in the men's contest.

Earlier, the Sibu girls had overwhelmed Miri B 84-34.

In another girls match, Sarikei also got off to a winning start when they beat Miri A 55-38.

Seven boys teams and five girls teams are competing in the championship organised by Sarawak Basketball Association.

Other teams in the boys competition are Kuching, Bintulu, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sarikei while the remaining girls teams are Miri B, Kuching and Sarikei.

Players will be selected at the championship to represent Sarawak at the National Under-17 basketball championship later this year.

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Volleyball chief hails ‘competitive’ state c’ship

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:21 AM PDT

SIBU: Sarawak Volleyball Association chairman Dr William Ting Wei Ung believes Sarawak's reputation as the volleyball powerhouse will remain intact so long as the players continue to support the sport.

"Your spirit of participation is what we need and we are grateful for and appreciate all the teams for taking part in the tournament. This will only make us grow stronger but also tougher,' he said.

Ting was speaking at the opening of the Sarawak Open Volleyball Championship at Rejang Park Volleyball Court here yesterday.

A total of eight teams are taking part in the three-day championship.

The teams are Sibu Team A and B, Kuching, Mukah, Meradong, Limbang, Bintulu and Miri.

Ting took particular notice of the Bintulu team, saying it had been years since Bintulu last joined the state championship.

"I could not recall which year Bintulu last took part in the state championship. Nevertheless, I am very happy and grateful to them for taking all the initiative to come here," he noted.

The presence of so many teams, Ting believed, would make the competition  truly challenging and competitive.

"Only through competitive competitions can we unearth new players and I believe through this tournament, we will be able to tap more talented players who would be nurtured as the future stars for Sarawak,' he added.

Ting also acknowledged Malaysia Volleyball coach Moh Ung Ming and his team for organizing the event.

On the RM10 million Sarawak Prudential Volleyball Association Stadium, he said its opening has been delayed but he expected work be completed by the end of this year.

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Malaysia see off battling Scots to make badminton semis

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:19 AM PDT

GLASGOW: Defending champions Malaysia suffered a scare before seeing off hosts Scotland to progress to the last four of the Commonwealth Games badminton team event.

Chan Peng Soon and Lai Pei Jing were beaten in the opening

rubber of the knockout stages by mixed doubles pairing by Robert Blair and Imogen Bankier 22-24, 21-9, 21-11 in a match lasting 64 minutes.

Malaysia, without top ranked Lee Chong Wei through injury, recovered well to progress despite a vociferous and partisan home crowd.

Wei Feng Chong comfortably beat Kieran Merrilees in the men's singles competition 21-16, 21-14 before a brave performance from Kirsty Gilmour, who had strapping on her wrist, was not enough enough to prevent her from going down 21-10, 21-15 to Jing Tee.

Tan Wee Kiong and Goh Wei Shem ensured there would be no further worries for Malaysia with a 21-12, 21-15 victory against Martin Campbell and Patrick MacHugh.

Chong insisted afterwards that he will struggle to live up to the standards of Lee as he copes with the expectation now he is the highest ranked player in the Malaysian side.

"No, not really," he said. "His standard is higher than the others. The match was not easy. There was pressure on me to deliver for Malaysia."

"The noise was not good for us, but we have to get used to it," added Tan. "We expected to win today but Scotland did a great job. We were a bit surprised by them especially in the mixed doubles." — AFP

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Nur Suryani lifts bronze in 10m air rifle

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:19 AM PDT

CARNOUSTIE: National shooter Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi won a bronze medal in the women's individual 10m Air Rifle event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games at the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre here Saturday.

Nur Suryani collected 184.4 points while the gold and bronze were won by shooters from India.

Arpuvi Chandela took the gold with  206.7 points while Ayonika Paul had to settle for the silver with 204.9 points.

"I am satified with my performance today, it cannot be denied shooters from India are among the best in the world," she told reporters.

She also expressed confidence that Malaysian shooters would be able to win gold in the events to come. — Bernama

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Mohd Hafifi delivers Malaysia’s first gold medal

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 09:19 AM PDT

GLASGOW: Mohd Hafifi Mansor clinched the first gold medal for Malaysia at the 20th Commonwealth Games in the men's weighlifting 69kg category Saturday.

Mohd Hafifi, 24, lifted a total 305kg – 135kg in the Snatch and 170kg in the Clean and Jerk in the final at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre Precint here.

The silver was won by Yinka Ayenuwa of Nigeria who lifted  302kg overall while Omkar Otari of India had to settle for the bronze with 296kg.

Another national weightlifter Mohammad Huzairi Ramli finished in fifth place with a total lift of 290kg.

Mohd Hafifi attributed his victory to patience and instructions from his coach who did not want him to engage in psychological warfare with his opponents.

"Initially I got riled up when the Nigerian went for 176kg in the clean and jerk. I wanted to surpass him but my coach forbade me from doing so.  "This was because he knew it was just an attempt at pyschological warfare and he asked me to be patient. The result is the gold belongs to us," he told reporters afterwards.

Mohd Hafifi also took the opportunity to thank Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and fans for their support through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"I dedicate this gold medal to my mother (Norizam Embong) back home in Kuala Terengganu. Each time I made a lift, I will say her name. Thank you mum for always supporting and praying for me," he said. — Bernama

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