The Brunei sepak takraw team suffered a setback on Tuesday, losing to team Lao PDR 3-15, 7-15 in the preliminary round of the Team Quadrant event at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. The defeat came after a crucial win against Singapore on Monday.

The squad, comprising Mohamad Norazlan bin Rosli, Muhd Asyraf Abdullah Mohd Asrul, Mohammad Faiz Fikri bin Haji Lamit, Zatie Hidayat bin Saidi, Abdul Raziq Waqiuddin bin Abdul Rahman, and Md Asllyi bin Haji Asmali, was later awarded a walkover win against Cambodia. With four points from their matches, Brunei is level with Vietnam and Malaysia in the standings. The team’s next fixtures are against Malaysia and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the Brunei netball team suffered a heavy 23-89 defeat to Singapore in the group stage. The team comprised Zuraidah binti Haji Abdul Amit, Nur Syamimi Syakirah Md Danial Dzimar, Siti Marhayati binti Ahmad, Eileen Xin Tian Koh, Masriatol Zuraifah Sajali, Nur Safwah binti Abdullah Sajali, Rozmacynthia Anak Simbilan, Nur Amirah Munirah Amirsufre Sufian, Normusliyana binti Musa, Zati Ellyn ‘Aisy Fathnin Fakhrana, Nur Hafizah binti Haji Abdul Sidek, and Nur Ady Elzza Ezrenna Sofian.

Netball coach Thilaka Jinadasa said the team faced challenges after a demanding schedule. “We started strongly, but Singapore’s strong defence put pressure on our shooters. Unforced errors and turnovers limited our scoring opportunities,” she noted. She added that Brunei struggled to control the ball in the centre third due to limited substitutions and injuries. “Our players found it difficult to find space against Singapore’s zonal defence. Despite this, we managed to execute some plays effectively,” she said. – James Kon

Courtesy from Borneo Bulletin