(Top) Mohd Khairul Shahrul Hj
Duahim, the Trainer's
Administrative Officer at the
Brunei-Muara District Office
(L) presenting the
championship trophy to a
representative of the
Sengkurong 'C' team. (Above)
A Sengkurong 'C' player
(yellow) vies for the ball
against a Sports School
player (red). Pictures:
BT/Saifulizam
Sengkurong 'C' emerged as champions of Brunei Darussalam Sepak Takraw Association's (Pestabaru) sepak takraw competition held in conjunction with His Majesty's 67th birthday celebration yesterday.
Held at the Menglait Sport Complex, Sengkurong 'C' defeated Brunei Darussalam Sports School 'A' 3-1 (15-11, 12-15, 15-12, 15-12) in the final.
Sengkurong 'C' beat Sengkurong B 2-1 (9-15, 15-0, 15-9) in the semi-final while Brunei Darussalam Sports School 'A' went past Sengkurong A 2-0 (16-3, 15-8) in the other semi-final match.
"It was a very tough game... The Sports School really made it difficult for us," noted team captain Rasli Taram in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
"It was a 50-50 match but we managed to keep calm and get points in the game.
"I am very happy to win it today as I haven't been playing for quite some time, so it feels very good to celebrate this success," continued the former national team player.
The captain was also happy that all the Sengkurong teams made it to podiums in the tournament.
"I am very proud of my teammates they played very well and were very disciplined in the game," he said.
"They are still young and I think they have the potential to represent the country in the future," he added.
Fifteen teams were vying for top honours in the tournament.
The other teams were Brunei Darussalam Sports School 'B', BIPA 'A', BIPA 'B', Kuala Lurah, Muara Spurs 'A', Muara Spurs 'B', Rimba, T.J.T 'A', T.J.T 'B', T.J.T 'C' and T.J.T 'D'.
Champions Sengkurong 'C' walked away with a cash prize of $200, a trophy and medals, while second-placed Brunei Darussalam Sports School 'A' brought home a cash prize of $150 with a trophy and medals.
Joint third-placed Sengkurong 'B' and Sengkurong 'C' received a cash prize of $100 each with trophies and medals respectively.
Present as the guest of honour to award the prizes to the winners was Mohd Khairul Shahrul Hj Duahim, the Trainer's Administrative Officer at the Brunei-Muara District Office.
Also present was the Pestabaru's president Pg Hj Ali Hassan Pg Dato Seri Laila Jasa Hj Abbas.
The main objective of the tournament was to find and unearth new talent in the sport to represent the country in the future.
The tournament was co-organised by the Brunei-Muara district committee of His Majesty's 67th birthday celebrations and Pestabaru.
An annual event, the two-day tournament started on Friday morning.
