|
Saidatul
Leads Perak
Bowling
Charge |
Dikemaskini :
22 May 2008 08:31 PM
It was heartbreak
for Perak at the
last SUKMA in Kedah
two years despite a
4-1-2 tally as it
was not good enough
to become the
overall tenpin
bowling champions –
beaten by Sabah who
won five golds.
This time around in
the 12th edition of
the SUKMA, Perak
have come well armed
and well prepared to
wrest the overall
title.
With five players
from the last SUKMA
still available and
with a string of
other titles behind
them, Perak will be
aiming for another
golden outing in
Malaysia’s premier
biennial sports
carnival.
The five who are
still available in
the competition
restricted to those
aged below 21, are
defending men’s
singles champion
Abdul Muhaimin
Khairuddin and the
all-powerful women
trio of Nur Attiah
Zainal Abidin,
Nazrinah Mohd Kamil
and Saidatul Afifah
Badrul Hamidi.
Nur Attiah and
Nazrinah won the
gold medal in the
women’s trios and
foursome while
Saidatul, apart from
the gold medal in
the foursome also
won the women’s All
Events.
Also in the team is
Muhaimin’s brother
Mohamed Zaquan who
won the silver in
the team event.
Saidatul, 17, is
Perak’s hottest
bowling property.
Apart from her
success in the last
SUKMA, she is also
the Malaysian
Schools (MSSM)
Under-18 singles and
Masters champion and
the All-Events plus
winning a bronze in
the team event held
in conjunction with
the MSSM Silver
Jubilee carnival in
Kuala Lumpur last
month.
So serious are Perak
in wanting to do
well in Terengganu,
that the entire
bowling squad was at
the Diman Bowling
Centre at the Sultan
Mizan Zainal Abidin
Stadium in Gong
Badak yesterday –
just hours after
arriving.
Their main mission
is to “test the
lanes and get used
to the environment”
before the SUKMA
competition gets
underway.
The Perak bowling
squad will return
home after another
session today as
three of their
players are also in
the Perak team which
will compete in the
MSSM Under-15
championships which
begin in Ipoh this
Saturday.
Perak bowling chief
coach Shamsuddin
Jamaluddin said the
team has put in a
lot of effort in
their preparations.
“Our main target is
to retain all the
four titles we won
in Alor Star. At the
same time we have
set our sights on
improving on the
tally and become the
overall champions.
We are here to test
the lanes and the
environment before
the games begins,”
said Shamsuddin.
“Bowling needs luck
too. The lane
conditions look good
and from what we
have observed the
lanes suit hook
bowlers. But what
happens when the
competition is
something else...the
conditions and
oiling may change.
We are prepared for
all eventualities.”
As for Saidatul, she
is gunning for more
honours.
“It has been a good
year for me and I
hope to take off
from where I left in
the schools meet,”
said Saidatul.
