The national petanque team will be looking to bowl over the competition in Sabah in September.
"We will be competing in the Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship and the Borneo Cup Petanque Championship from September 12 to 14 in Sabah," revealed national captain Mazlan Hj Yahya in an interview with The Brunei Times during the Brunei Darussalam Petanque Federation (BDPF) Iftar ceremony and donation presentation for orphans held at the Stadium Restaurant at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on Friday night.
"We have been training from 9pm to 11pm at the Petanque Pitch of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas throughout the month of Ramadhan... I am sure the competition is going to be very tough but we will definitely give our best," said Mazlan.
Mazlan, Wirna Hj Mohd Yassin, Hamidon Hj Hamid, Hj Karim Hj Ahmad, Hj Mat Rasil Hj Ahmad, Mohd Abdillah Tamin and Rani Saidin are expected to compete at the two tournaments.
Brunei hosted the tournaments for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012 - and enjoyed glory in each instance.
They were crowned champions of the 1st Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship and the Sultanate went on to sweep the second edition of the tournament and the additional Borneo Cup Petanque Championship the following year.
The country also went on to win both tournaments in 2012. Brunei only managed to finish in the top 16 out of 80 teams at the 4th Borneo Inter-Club Petanque Championship held in Bintulu Sarawak last year. The other Bruneians at the 3rd Borneo Cup Petanque Championship only managed to grab five silver and one bronze.
The national petanque team will also take part in the Invitational Open Petanque Championship in Bintangor, Sarawak, next month, from August 23 to 24. Mazlan and Wirna were crowned champions of the 2012 edition of the tournament when they defeated Bintagor 13-11 in the final.
The duo is aiming to regain their crown after losing out in the championship decider last year. The national petanque team are coming off an impressive performance after winning silver at the 8th Pan Pacific Petanque Championship in the Philippines in May. The trio of Mohd Abdillah, Hj Mat Rasil and Hj Karim managed to reach the final but eventually lost 11-6 to champions Vietnam.
The trio kicked off their campaign with a win over Japan in the first round before defeating Indonesia in the quarter final. They defeated Singapore in the semi-final to book their final against Vietnam in the tournament.
