Kuching eye 12th straight victory

KUCHING: The Kuching Division Table Tennis Association (KDTTA) is looking to capture a 12th consecutive title at the 52nd Sarawak Tan Sri Datuk Jimmy Lau Hieng Wui Table Tennis Championship at the Miri Indoor Stadium from Dec 7-12.

They are fielding a very strong contingent of 45 players including former national players and present state players who will be accompanied by nine officials.

Team manager Helena Christine Wee expressed her confidence in the team to do well again in Miri this week but it would be no easy ride for the defending champions.

“We hope to retain the title again. Of course, we have to work very hard as we will be facing strong teams like Miri and Sibu,” she said after a flag presentation to the Kuching team at the Kuching Elite Training Centre on Tuesday.

“Our best results were last year where we captured 15 gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals to emerge overall champions and we are hoping to better that performance this year,” she added.

Wee said KDTTA are not setting any target for the players as it would add unnecessary pressure on them.

“We just want them to strive for the best results, go out there to play and enjoy themselves,” she said, adding that Kuching will take part in all the eight team events and 16 individual events in the five-day annual championship.

The teams events are Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Veteran Men, Non-Chinese, Boys Youth, Girls Youth, Boys Under 13 Hopes and Girls Under 13 Hopes while the individual events include Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Veteran Women (40 years old and above), Men’s Veteran (45-54 years old), Men’s Veteran (55 years old and above), Non-Chinese singles, Boys/Girls Under-18, 15, 13, 10, Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles.

Wee is expecting more than 300 players from eight divisions to compete at the championship.

“We have former nationals Kueh Wan May and Chai Kiang Meng who are last year’s Men’s and Women’s Open champions while other defending champions include Rayford Kho (Boys Under-17), Andy Jong (Boys Under -15), Joel Chen Yu Chen (Boys Under-10), Elicia Tsai (Girls Under-10), Clement Sim (SEA Junior Boys Under-15 doubles champion), Andrea Tan (MSSM 2012 Girls Under-12 champion) and Matteus Aloysius (Non-Chinese champion since 2001) in our line-up and I hope they can all give a good account of themselves in the meet,” said Wee.

The youngest member of the team is eight-year-old Benjamin Thian.

KDTTA honorary president Datuk Yii Chi Haw will lead the Kuching contingent as the chef-de-mission while the coaches line-up comprises Chua Chiaw Lian, Helena Wee, Lancelot Chua, Yip Pau Cheng, Ang Bee Hua, Ting Ing Hock, Chai Kian Beng, Chai Kiang Peng, Kueh Wan May and Matteus Aloysius.

Meanwhile, during the flag presentation ceremony KDTTA president Wong Tiong Hock handed over the association flag to Yii which was witnessed by Table Tennis Association of Malaysia vice president Michael Teo Kim Huat who is also Table Tennis Association of Sarawak president.

The ceremony also saw the presentation of the sponsorship of team jerseys from Geo Crete Specialist chief operating officer Simon Wong Wei Kiong.

Wee took the opportunity to thank state ministers, prominent politicians and businessmen, association’s honorary presidents and chairmen, KDTTA president, corporate sector, parents, friends and table tennis enthusiasts for their overwhelming support for the team.

“To send such a big contingent to Miri requires a substantial amount of funds and we managed to raise just enough for the purpose,’ she said.

The team will depart to Miri today.