MAKSAK Selangor clinch Classic Triples Championship
WORLD Outdoor Championship silver medallist Zuraini Khalid is no longer in the national team, but she is still a force on home soil.
Zuraini teamed up with Azim Azimi Ariffin and Haiqal Azami, representing MAKSAK Selangor, to win the Lawn Bowls Classic Triples Championship in Ipoh on Sunday.
MAKSAK Selangor defeated Perlis B 11-9 in a nail-biting final at Arena Lawn Bowls Perak.
Perlis B were represented by Noorfahzarina Amiuliya Abu Bakar, Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman and Ain Nurnajwa Sam.
Over 80 teams, which included Malaysia Games squads and clubs, participated in the tournament.
The competition was organised by Bowls Klang Valley (club) with the support of the Perak Lawn Bowls Association.
“We focused on one game at a time to qualify for the semi-finals and subsequently the final,” said Zuraini yesterday.
“We could not afford to take anything for granted as there was little margin for error against a strong field.
“The final was really close and it could have gone either way, but we managed to clinch it eventually.”
The 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist’s contract with the National Sports Council
(NSC) was not renewed at the end of last year following the widespread budget cuts implemented by the government.
Zuraini, however, has not given up hope on representing the country in the future.
“Unfortunately, I was one of the athletes who was dropped when they decided to trim the squad recently,” said the 35-year-old.
“But I am still keen on representing the country again if given an opportunity in the future.”