The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Ahmad Sarji steps down as MLBF president
- Massaro sends Waters packing, Darwish claims men’s title
- Sonia sparks Malaysia to victory
| Ahmad Sarji steps down as MLBF president Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:01 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid has stepped down as president of the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) after 17 years at the helm. Newly-elected president Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail said Ahmad Sarji had decided to pave the way during the 17th annual general meeting (AGM) at the Lawn Bowls Complex in Bukit Kiara on Saturday. "I thank Tun Ahmad Sarji for his excellent commitment and leadership of the MLBF. It is an honour for me to be given the task to continue bringing progress to the association," said Wan Nawawi. He also thanked Nik Mustapha Nik Mohamed, Ramble Dallan Rice-Oxley and Norcigi Ismail who also relinquished their positions as treasurer, secretary-general and assistant secretary respectively. Ahmad Sarji was the pioneer behind the success of the national team at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games when Malaysia won a silver and two bronze medals. Malaysia became a powerhouse of the sport, winning numerous accolades at the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Championships. Malaysian even produced a world champion in Safuan Said, who was ranked world No.1 in 2008. New MLBF office bearers President: Wan Nawawi Wan Ismail (Ter). Deputy president: Tengku Datin Seri Noor Hazah Alhaj (Prk). Vice-presidents: Supt Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Zin (Pol), Awang Mahyan Awang Mohamad (Swk). Secretary general: Capt (rtd) Ahmad Shah Kazi Mohd (Lab). Assistant secretary: Ahmad Hisham Hassan (Ter). Committee members: Datuk Shukrie Mohd Ali Ahmad (Ked), Zakaria Ahmad (Pen), Kamarudin Nordin (Joh), Roslan Ismail (Mal), Mejar Zainol Awang (TUDM), Kamis Harun (Per), Meskam Salimi (Sel). (Note: The treasurer's post and three appointed committee members to be named later) |
| Massaro sends Waters packing, Darwish claims men’s title Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:55 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: World No.3 Laura Massaro won her first-ever CIMB KL Open title after a superb display to beat Alison Waters in the women's final at the Berjaya Times Square yesterday. In a repeat of the British national championship final last month, Massaro, who lost to Waters then, exacted sweet revenge by winning 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 in an All-English showdown. It was also her first KL title and Massaro simply proved that Saturday's win over world No. 1 Nicol David was no fluke. After getting her tactics right against Nicol, the 29-year-old Massaro once again worked her game plan to perfection against Waters, whom she shared a long history, dating back to their junior days. It was tight in the first set with both players trading blows like heavyweights from a boxing match. Waters, however, stole ahead to lead 9-8 at one point, only for Massaro to score three points in succession to take the first set 11-9. It was all Massaro from then on as she asserted her control in the match, giving Waters no breathing space, easily taking the second and third sets to win her 11th Women's Squash Association (WSA) title. It was also her second WSA World Series title, following her US Open triumph back in 2011. "I'm really happy to have won because I have never done so well in Malaysia in the past. I've only had one prior semi-final appearance here (in 2009) and was initially just looking to get past the quarter-finals," said Massaro. "In fact, I don't really know where my form came from, considering I was struggling with a few injuries before this tournament. Right now I'm just proud of myself for doing so well the whole week," added Massaro. In the men's final, world No. 6 Karim Darwish won his second KL Open title after a commanding performance in beating compatriot Mohamed El Shorbagy 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 in 54 minutes. It was the 31-year-old Darwish's eighth win over the 23-year-old Shorbagy in 10 meetings and it was a repeat of the 2011 final which Darwish won too. "I had to be at my best today because Shorbagy is very good and he beat me in three sets the last time we met," said Darwish, who had his wife Engy Kheirallah and 10-month-old son Omar cheering him on from the stands. "This is my second title in KL and I'm really happy with the result and I enjoyed the match too. But I really had to be 100% focused today because it was hot in the court and I could have lost my concentration easily." Darwish also added that having his son at courtside was like a lucky charm for him. "It's great to have my family here because now I can play without worrying. Maybe I'll bring Omar for more tournaments now because he's like a lucky charm," quipped Darwish. Final results Men: Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) 11-9, 12-10, 11-7. Women: Laura Massaro (Eng) bt Alison Waters (Eng) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6. |
| Sonia sparks Malaysia to victory Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:56 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's youngster Sonia Cheah screamed in delight and jumped in sheer joy yesterday. Indeed, it was a memorable day for the 19-year-old Sonia at the Axiata Cup when she stunned world No. 9 Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan 21-18, 19-21, 22-20 in an explosive match to hand Malaysia a brilliant start in the tie against Asia All Stars at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium. It was Sonia's first win over a top 10 player in the world. And it was also probably one of Malaysia's best wins in the women's singles event since the days of former top player Wong Mew Choo. The 2007 China Open champion Mew Choo retired from the game in 2011. With Sonia's exploit yesterday, Malaysia went on to beat Asia All Stars 3-1 to confirm their place in the semi-finals on April 13 as the second-placed team. A draw will be conducted on April 12 to determine Malaysia's semi-final opponents — either Thailand or Asia All Stars. Yesterday, Sonia's breakthrough however failed to inspire Liew Daren when he went down 27-25, 13-21, 18-21 to South Korean veteran Lee Hyun-il. Still recovering from a bout of flu, Daren was slower than usual and could not take the punishing and clever play by the Korean, and said: "I think I gave a decent performance after being down with illness and without training for two days. I took it easy after taking a lead (in the third game) and did some mistakes as well. Overall, we are happy to make the semi-finals." Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying and Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong restored order for Malaysia when they won their matches in contrasting fashion. Peng Soon-Liu Ying dropped a game before charging back for a 17-21, 21-18, 21-15 win over Tarun Kona-Ashwini Ponnappa while Thien How-Wee Kiong stamped their class with a 21-19, 21-10 win over Bao Chunlai-Zheng Bo. The day however, certainly belonged to Sonia. "I am proud of myself. This is my first win against a top 10 player. It will surely give me the confidence to go far in my career," said Sonia. The match was tight from the start as both kept snapping at each other's heels but Sonia marched confidently to a 21-19 win. The second match resumed with the same tempo before Sonia pulled away 17-14. It all looked good for the Malaysian when the Taiwanese teenage sensation resurrected her game in style to bulldoze past Sonia with a 21-19 win. It was even closer in the third game but this time, a determined Sonia came from behind at 18-20 to nail her famous win. She said that the win would be a catalyst for greater things. "One victory does not mean everything. There is much more to be achieved but it is a good start," said Sonia with a smile. Sonia will take part in the Australian Open Grand Prix Gold starting this Wednesday and has promised to give another good account of herself. Meanwhile, in Surabaya, Indonesia crushed the hopes of Europe All Stars to make the top four when they sent them out of the elimination round with a 3-1 win. |
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