Sabah shu lers bag under-12 crown
The future looks bright for Sabah badminton a er winning a gold and a fourth placing at the recent BAM Na onal Inter-State team U-12 and U-16 Championships.
KOTA KINABALU: The future looks bright for Sabah badminton after winning a gold and a fourth placing at the recent BAM National Inter-State team U-12 and U-16 Championships.
Hosted by Johor State Badminton Association, the Sabah boys’ under-12 squad lifted the Team title after a narrow 2-1 win over Selangor in the final.
Ferdinan Ramno gave Sabah a good start by clinching the first point but not after a hard earned 11-21, 21-17 and 21-10 win in the first singles against Chen Hong Chew.
Selangor however levelled the match through the Boys’ Doubles, where Quan Lok Hong and Haziq Masawi Muhammad Faiq edged Sabah pair Aguwell Andrew and Willson Engkal 21-19, 21-19.
Sabah’s second singles Carlester Cleve James rose to the occasion when it mattered most when he put up a remarkable battle against Mohd Najib Muhammad Haziq before winning 21-14, 1621 and 21-17 to deliver the title winning point.
The state junior boys had earlier topped Group A, which also comprised Penang and Sarawak, to advance into the knock-out stage.
Sabah girls also did well at the championship by finishing fourth in the Under-16 Team event.
The squad comprising Arena Satu Samin, Asfarhani Jasneh, Macnella Michael and Shannie Dedee Richard opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Perak and Kuala Lumpur respectively followed by a 3-0 win over Perlis to top Group D.
In the quarter-finals, Sabah defeated Sarawak 2-1 to progress into the last four where they lost to the top seed Selangor 0-2.
Sabah had to settle for fourth placing when they lost to Penang 0-2 in the play-off.
Meanwhile, president of Sabah Badminton Association (SBA), Janih Bangud, was full of praise for the Sabah team.
“It was a very phenomenal win for our under-12 boys to clinch the prestigious title and good exposure for the girls’ under 16 who made it into the semifinals.
“Our girls’ under-12 squad finished third in the group stage while our boys’ under-16 reached the quarter-finals where they lost to third seed Terengganu ...... they had to compete against stronger state teams in Malaysia.
“With the success, the association is looking forward to next year’s national tournaments,” said Janih in a statement yesterday.
He went on to express thanks for the strong support and assistance extended to the team from the Youth and Sports Ministry, Sabah Sports Council, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, TM Stanley Joe, Mildred Jemandan, Stephen Jimbangan, Robert Sadom, Francis Chia, parents and coaches.