Sarawak bid to retain table tennis title
KUCHING: Sarawak are hoping to retain their title in the Malaysia Milo Youth & Cadet Table Tennis Championship in Kampar, Perak from Oct 18-21.
Assistant team manager Chung Kui Chai said this will be no easy task as the state team are without two key players Derrick Tsai and Crystal Tiong because they will be sitting for their SPM a week after the competition.
“I am quite certain that the other teams will be going all out to dethrone us and we are hoping that our national paddler Alice Chang Li Sian and two national youth paddlers Karen Lynne Dick and Christopher Goh Kho Hian Hui will lead us to another good result,” he said after the state flag presentation by Sarawak Sports Corporation chief executive officer Dr Ong Kong Swee at the Sarawak Stadium yesterday.
According to Chung who is also Sarawak table tennis technical and development officer, Selangor will pose the greatest threat to Sarawak as they are traditional archrivals.
“We need to be wary of Kuala Lumpur and Sabah too,” he added.
Four categories namely Boys U18, Boys U15, Girls U18 and Girls U15 will be competed at the twoday meet to be staged at Kampar UiTM hall.
The players for the Boys U18 are Gabriel Ling Kerk Yu, Ting Ung Kai, Dickson Tay Guan Keat, Wong Khing Yeu and Jonathan Goh Kho Hian Hock while the Boys U15 representatives are Christopher Goh Kho Hian Hui, Too Ying Chuen, Louis Chung Kian Fu, Lee Chen Hong and Pui You Ming.
Girls U18 team comprises Alice Chang Li Sian, Catherine Chan Zhe Yen, Foo Wui Jia and the Sia sisters Hsiao Ching and Hsiao Hung.
The Girls U15 team is made up of Karen Lynne Dick, Sammy Tay Yuen Ning, Foo Sze Hui, Tay Lynn Jia and Chang Choy Xuan.
Ling Kiing Tsan is the team manager and the coaches are Yu Ming Tao, Wong Jen Wei, Chua Yeo Fong, Samson Tay and Michelle Ling.
The Kuching, Samarahan and Serian-based paddlers will fly to Sibu for a centralised training on Oct 14-15 with selected players from other divisions before departing to Kuala Lumpur on Oct 16 where they will travel by bus to Kampar.
Meanwhile, Ong expressed his confidence that the state team are able to do well in the national meet.
In wishing them all the best in the meet, he hoped that they can retain the national crown and bring more glory and honour to the state.