Sepak takraw team begin title defence vs Sarawak

THE national sepak takraw team are determined to defend their crown in the team event which begins today for the 3rd Borneo Games at the Sungai Kebun Sports Complex in Lumapas.

Brunei's very first test would be against Sarawak at 8.30am.

After picking up the gold medal two years ago in Kuching two years ago, national sepak takraw coach Muhd Maziz Abdullah said his team are highly motivated to keep the title, mainly because they will be playing before their countrymen.

Muhd Maziz, who is the coach of the Under-23 side, told The Brunei Times that they could get at least one gold or maybe more in the eight-day tournament.

The sepak takraw team consists of 12 players, who will be competing in all three categories - doubles, inter-regu and team. The team had undergone intensive training for more than a month to prepare for the Games.

Brunei won the inter-regu gold and team silver during the inaugural edition in Sabah five years ago. But this year's line-up has been changed.

Muhd Maziz had been coaching the team for the past four years while they were still in the Department of Youth and Sports sepak takraw scheme.

More than half of the team also represented Brunei at the 24th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Thailand in July and the 2009 World Sepak Takraw Championship in Terengganu, Malaysia in May.

The team won the gold in the Division 1 and finished with two silvers and a bronze in Division 2.

In parallel to the hosts' first game, Sabah will take on Labuan.

The 2.30pm games will see Brunei go head to head with Labuan while Sarawak take on Sabah.

The Brunei Times