SIBU: Alvin Kong Sien Lik of Sibu stole the limelight of the recent Sarawak Schools Sports Squash Championship after he won the Boys’ Under-18 title.
The tournament’s fourth seed bounced back from one game down to secure a three set victory over Miri’s Hamilton Tan and wrapping up the match with 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 score.
Sarawak Squash Association president, Robert Lau Hui Yew described Alvin’s victory as unexpected because he was the underdog and was up against a strong contender.
“Still, the victory was sweet for Alvin as it was the first time in as many years that a Sibu boy has finally won gold in the Under-18 category,” he added.
Lau said the championship was very keenly fought, and praised Miri for producing a strong team which returned as the overall champion.
“Hopefully, other divisions will emulate the sporting spirit of Miri players.”
Buoyed by the home supporters, Alvin never let down the crowd and he played with true grit and determination to overcome the stiff challenges from Hamilton.
The third placing went to top seed Samuel Law of Kuching while Miri’s Alvin Yew, the second seed finished fourth.
In the Girls’ Under-18 category, state player Danielle Wee of Miri stamped her superiority when she easily outclassed fellow team mate, Dessny Ling to win the title.
Evelyn Wong, also from Miri, came third while Sibu’s Ling Ling Fung finished fourth.
In the Boys’ Under-15 section, Miri’s Ma Teck Lek was the champion, followed by Sibu’s Wong Siew Hung, Miri’s Martin Kueh and Miri’s Yong Zheng Xue in second, third and fourth placings respectively.
In the Girls’ Under-15, it was a walk in the park for national champion Ma Si Yii after she beat Miri’s Amanda Jong to win the title while Kuching’s Lauren Brodie was third and Sibu’s Josephine Yii finished fourth.
In the Boys’ Under-12, Miri’s Nathan Kueh emerged champion followed by Kuching’s Hardie Daniel, Felix Lau and Gregory Chan in second, third and fourth positions.
In the Girls’ Under-12, Kuching’s Charlize Goh was the champion while Sibu’s Carina Loi came in second, Miri’s Chloe Chieng was third and Miri’s Chia Yuen Xuan finished fourth.
Miri were overall champion in both the Boys’ and Girls’ categories while Sibu were second in the Boys’ section with Kuching in third place. In the Girls’ section, Kuching were second and Sibu, third. Three divisions took part in the championship.