KUCHING: Few spectators turned up at the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) Hall at Airport Road here on Sunday afternoon.
Owen Ting and Stanley Chiong in action during the boys Under-15 doubles final. They beat fellow Pacific Badminton Management teammates Aloysious Lim and Syzfiq Azhar 21-9, 18-21, 21-14.
Winners assemble for a photograph with SBA treasurer Soh Theng Chai at the end of the tournament.
But parents and coaches displayed a spirit of commaradie as they guided their young charges in the finals of the Sarawak Junior State Closed badminton championship for Under-12 and Under-15 (2nd Leg).
The girls competition was dominated by SBA players as expected. For the boys, Kuching’s Pacific Badminton Management (PBM) swept both titles in the Under-15 while Miri’s Chung Jing Sport (CJS) took both events in the Under-12.
Owen Ting Shih Wee (PBM) and Joden Atom (CJS) walked away with two titles each.
Owen beat teammate Syafiq Azhar 21-16, 21-13 in the Under-15 boys singles final. A more difficult time awaited him in the doubles final although it was an all-PBM affair. He paired with Stanley Chiong to overcome the combination of Aloysious Lim-Syafiq Azhar in three sets 21-9, 18-21, 21-14.
Joden had an almost similar journey.
He had a comfortable 21-12, 21-15 victory over fellow CJS teammate Chan Khai Hoong in the Under-12 boys singles final. The two combined but had to overcome stiff resistance from Chua Chia Yung and Pui Wee Young of Kuching’s Vision Badminton Academy (VBA) to win the doubles 12-21, 23-21, 21-16.
A total of 207 players representing 17 teams competed in the three-day tournament.
They included associations and clubs such as Kuching Badminton Association 2002 (KBA), Miri Badminton Association 2002 (MBA), Bintangor, Chong Cheong Yong Training Centre (CCY), Lawas District Badminton Association, and Sibu’s Elite Training Centre and Thumb’s Up Badminton Academy.
Players will be selected after the tournament to represent Sarawak at the National Junior Inter-State Under-12 and Under-15 Mixed Team Championships to be held in Kedah from Dec 17-21.