Girls' Team Pools

Girls' Team Pools                      pool matches on Mon-Wed, playoffs Thu-Sat    Mon 22nd, Day ONE:    A: Egypt 3-0 Australia , New Zealand 3-0 Poland   B: USA 3-0 France , Canada 3-0 Czech Rep.   C: England 3-0 Japan , India 3-0 South Africa   D: Hong Kong 3-0 Colombia , Malaysia 3-0 Germany Tue 23rd, Day TWO:   A:  Egypt 3-0 New Zealand , Australia 3-0 Poland   B:  USA 3-0 Canada , France 3-0 Czech Rep.   C:  England 3-0 India , Japan 1-2 South Africa   D:  Hong Kong 3-0 Malaysia , Colombia 1-2 Germany  Dear All, Order of play was 2,1,3. So Rachel went on 1st against Ho Tze Lok. Both started of the 1st game playing cautious squash and Rachel got the 1st few points off good lenghts and good boasts. 4-1, 8-4 and never let her get into the game. 2nd game totally opposite and went for shot early in the game made 3 mistakes and was 0-3 down and opponent played a couple of good shots and was 1-5 down and never really recovered from that and lost 4-11.  Woke up in the 3rd playing good lenghts, couple with her good serve and good drops 5-0, then 6-1, and went on to win 11-4. Started the 4th again making errors and was 1-4 down and 6-9 down but managed to pull herself together to crawl back to 9 all. Then 10 all and 11 all but 2 errors saw her throw away the game 11-13. 5th was a waste of time as she made a lot of errors and didn't really play like she wanted to win, lost 3-11. Vanessa went on next to play Ho Kak Po and lost 6=11, 8-11, 7-11. Played to quick to the front early on in the game and got punished with either counter drops or drives to the back and lost the 1st in 6. The 2nd was really close with her keeping it more to the back and putting it short when the time is right and was close till 8 all then a couple of loose shots and an error saw her lose in 8. 3rd again was close till 7 all then game fell apart and lost in 7. Either she plays to much to the front when her opponent is already in the front or ball hits the side wall and falls loose in the middle and sets up her opponent to play winners. Celine was next and played Choi Uen Shan and lost 7-11, 10-12, 3-11. I feel that if either on the girls had won things could have been different as the HK girl looked nervous. Not a bad result from Celine but again could not get her cross courts wide a lot of the time and could have got a couple of strokes in front if her racket had been up earlier. This could have altered the result. Thanks,
Pool A [1] Egypt           W2 [8] New Zealand W1 Australia            W1 Poland              W0	Pool B [2] USA          W2 [7] Canada      W1 France            W1 Czech Rep.      W0	Pool C [3] England     W2 [6] India         W1 South Africa    W1 Japan             W0	Pool E [4] Hong Kong   W2 [5] Malaysia      W1 Germany           W1 Colombia           W0

WSF WORLD SQUASH JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013 (15-27 JULY 2013)

17-Jul, Girls' Round Two:
[9/16] Rachel Arnold (Mas) 3-2 Choi Uen Shan (Hkg)  11/5, 11/13, 11/3, 10/12, 11/9 (46m)

18-Jul, Girls' Round Three:
Maria Elena Ubina (Usa) 3-2 [9/16] Rachel Arnold (Mas)  9/11, 6/11, 11/6, 11/5, 11/5 (35m) 

Dear All,

Bad day for us as everyone lost today. Celine lost to English No.1,Victoria Temple-Murray,  0-3((8-11, 7-11,9-11) , Vanessa lost to English No. 2, Anna Kimberly,1-3 (11-5, 12-14, 8-11 ,2-11) and Rachel lost to Maria Elena Ubina from USA 2-3 (11-9, 11-6, 6-11,5-11,5-11)

Celine was on 1st and although she lost it was quite close. Celine is having the flu and having problems breathing but still hung in there but just could not finish off when it mattered. The 1st game started off with both players playing safe squash and it was point for point till 6 all then a few loose shots from Celine gave her opponent chance to play some good drops and deep drives to lead 6-9. Celine played a good deep drive to go to 7-9 but a drop into the tin had her 7-10. ANother good drive and it was 8-10 but another tin gave the English girl the 1st game.

2nd game started off with Celine hitting good deep drives and using her lobs effectively and coupled with some delicate drops to take a 5-1 lead. The a few errors off the lob, some drops into the tin and some loose shots saw her opponent crawl back to 7 all. AFter this it was all errors and lost that one too.

In the 3rd saw Celine a bit tired and struggled to get the balls deep and was punished with deep dives, good boasts and a few tins by Celine saw her opponent take a 1-8 lead. Then her opponent relaxed a bit and made a few errors and since there was no pressure on Celine she started to play some nice drops, good boasts and deep lenghts. This saw her crawl her way back to 9 all. Then a drop from the back hit the tin and another volley into the tin gave the game away. Game lasted 35 minutes.

Vanessa was next and won the 1st game easily with some good drops, nice boasts and opponents mistakes. But the 2nd was different and her opponent this time played safe and good basic squash which saw both players fighting neck to neck with the English girl wining 12-14. Towards the end it was clear that Vanessa was getting tired and made 2 unforced errors. Vanessa hit 4 tins, loose shots in the middle of the court which her opponent either punished her or played winners. Long 30 minute game,

The next game Vanessa was always tailing and seemed tired and not able to give her best. Started going for quick shots to the front and managed to get a few points but after a few her opponent started to read this and it was over. The 4th was a mere formality as she didn't really try and gave up.

Rushed to see Rachel's game and by the time I got there she was already 1 up. Again in the 2nd she started playing her shots very quickly to the front but managed to get a few winners to win it easily.

After this her opponent changed her game and started to play some nice boasts to the front and Rachel was caught many times by this. Her front court also were not effective as her opponent was reading it and getting there and playing some deadly returns. Despite this Rachel still kept going for her shots and lost the game easily.

The next 2 games were the same despite me telling her to get it more to the back. Not sure, but I suspect she was a bit tense and not thinking. Will have a chat with all of them tonite and try to see what can be done to overcome this.

 

 

 

Asian Junior Squash Championship 2013

30 June 2013

Malaysians make squash history at Asian Juniors

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia created history in the Asian Junior Squash Championships, winning five out of the eight titles at stake in Amman, Jordan, yesterday.

Malaysia were victorious in both the girls’ and boys’ Under-13 and Under-15 categories as well as the boys’ Under-17 title.

Kah Yan Ooi, the joint third-fourth seed, delivered the first title for Malaysia by stunning second seed Liu Hui Lam of Hong Kong 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 in the girls’ Under-13 category.

Mohd Hafiz Zhafri Abdul Harif then delivered title No. 2. He lived up to his top billing, beating second seed Veer Chotrani of India 11-6, 14-12, 12-10 in the boys’ Under-13 final.

In the girls’ Under-15, second seed Andrea Jia Qi Lee ended joint third-fourth seed Zoe Foo’s gallant run with an 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 win in an all-Malaysian final.

Top seed Mohd Farez Izwan Mohd Mukhtar then came back from the brink of defeat to beat second seed Mohammad Alsarraj of Jordan 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 in the boys’ Under-15 final for title No. 4.

Malaysia’s fifth crown was won by second Ng Eain Yow who upset top seed and compatriot Mohd Syafiq Mohd Kamal in the boys’ Under-17 final 11-4, 11-4, 6-11, 11-6.

Previously, Malaysia’s best-ever achievement was three titles – in Jordan in 2011 and Iran last year.

“The future of squash looks bright,” said SRAM general manager Christopher Brodie.

Asian Junior Squash Championship 2013

Farez Izwan in Action

Farez: Asian Junior U-15 Champion 2013

 

Ng Eain Yow retrieving a shot

 

Ng: Asian Junior U-17 Champion 2013

 

Shafiq: Asian Junior U-17 Runner-Up

Zoe: Asian Junior U-15 Runner-Up

Asian Junior Squash Championship 2013

30 June 2013

SQUASH: Five of the best

THE national juniors put on an impressive display to sweep five of the eight finals at the Asian Junior Championships in Amman, Jordan yesterday to improve on last year's tally of three.

Only the girls' and boys' Under-19 finals did not feature a Malaysian but that was not the case with the lower age-group categories.

Two of the finals were all-Malaysian affairs and the depth of the national juniors was clear to see when girls Under-15 defending champion S. Sivasangari was ousted in Friday's semi-finals by a teammate.

Ng Eain Yow (boys' Under-15) and Nur Aliah Anis Mohammad (girls' Under-13) were the other winners last year in Kish Island, Iran.

Ooi Kah Yan, who upset top seed Aifa Azman in the semi-finals, started the ball rolling by winning the girls' Under-13 title with an 11-78, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 victory over second seed Lui Hui Lam of Hong Kong.

Hafiz Zhafri Abdul Harif lived up to his top billing in the boys Under-13 event after beating Veer Chotrani of India 11-6, 14-12, 12-10.

Andrea Lee took advantage of the shock semi-final defeat of top seed Sivasangari to fellow national junior Zoe Foo to win the girls' Under-15 title 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4.

Farez Izwan Mukhtar then rallied from two games down against second seed Mohammad Alsarraj of Jordan before winning the boys' Under-15 title 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4.

Nazihah Hanis Abdul Razak however lost in the girls' Under-17 final to top seed Choi Uen Shan of Hong Kong 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.

The fifth title came in the boys' Under-17 event where top seed Syafiq Kamal and Eain Yow were playing in all-Malaysian final late yesterday.

Malaysia did not have a representative in the girls' Under-19 final after Vanessa Raj was beaten by top seed Anaka Alankamony of India 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8.

All eight Malaysian finalists won tickets to next year's British Junior Open in Sheffield, England courtesy of CIMB Foundation through their junior development programme.

By Devinder Singh


Read more: SQUASH: Five of the best - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/squash-five-of-the-best-1.310223#ixzz2XgHMg4Se

Malaysian Junior Open Championship 2013

20 June 2013

GEORGE TOWN: LOCAL challengers made the country proud by capturing seven of the 10 titles in the Malaysian Junior Open Championships at the Nicol David International Squash Centre in George Town recently.

   Juniors from Kedah and Bukit Jalil Sports School kept up with their superiority when their players clinched two titles each while Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Sabah collected the rest. Hong Kong won two titles while India took one.

  Kedah maintained their dominance at junior level in the national meet for the third consecutive year.
The northern state provided six challengers in five finals, winning two titles and four second places. Last year, Kedah won three titles.

   As for hosts Penang, their two top players failed to deliver. In the Girls' Under-13 final, Nur Aliah Izzati Muhammad Anis, who was a losing semifinalist last year, went to Negri Sembilan's Ooi Kah Yan 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-0, while the country's top junior, Vannesa Raj Gnanasigamani, who had  wanted to win the Under-19 title, to complete a sweep of all the junior age-group titles, could only finish third, defeating her arch rival Rachel Mae Arnold of Bukit Jalil Sports School 12-10, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9.

    The six-day tournament was hosted by Squash Racket Association of Penang and sanctioned by Squash Racket Association of Malaysia, Asian Squash Federation (ASF) and World Squash Federation (WSF).

   The main sponsor for the championship was the Penang Water Corporation with Nestle and Dunlop as co-sponsors. The event was organised with the cooperation of the state government, Penang Island Municipal Council and the state sports council.

   Organising chairman Linda Geh said the WSF has awarded the event Tier II status whereby the Under-19 players would accumulate World Junior Ranking points, while the ASF has awarded the event Platinum status on the Asian Junior Super Series where participants would earn Asian Junior Ranking points.

     Geh, a former national player, said a total of 516 junior players and 127 officials (of which 177 were foreigners) were in Penang for the tournament. More than 5,000 people flocked to the island during the tournament.

    "Participants from 12 countries came. Singapore had the largest contingent of 62 participants, India with a strong contingent of 47 participants and Hong Kong with six participants."

     The others who came were South Korea (21 participants), Australia (12), New Zealand (11), Japan (5), Pakistan (2), Sri Lanka (3), Iran (2), China (1) and for the first time Taiwan came with four participants.

    Geh said all the states, except for Perlis, Johor and Bukit Jalil Sports School, participated in the event which offered a total of RM10,000 cash prize.

    The juniors contested in 10 age groups: Boys' and Girls' Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19.

     All the Malaysian winners at the championships received the CIMB Foundation's sponsorships to participate in the British Junior Open from CIMB Bank vice-president/area retail manager Frankie Tan Jek Cheng. At the ceremony was  SRAM deputy president Huang Ying How and Penang Water Corporation general manager Jaseni Maidinsa.

                

The age-group champions with CIMB Bank vice president-area retail manager Frankie Tan Jek Cheng (third from left) and SRAM deputy president Huang Ying How (fourth from left) who handed out the CIMB Foundation’s incentives at the Nicol David International Squash Centre in George Town recently. Pix by K. Kandiah

Read more: SQUASH: Kedah shine - Northern - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/northern/squash-kedah-shine-1.303463#ixzz2XgDUbby3

MSSM Squash 2013

4 of our players managed to bag gold, silver and bronze in their respective age group for individuals in the MSSM competition. 2 of them who bagged the gold medal are Mohd Syafiq (Boys u18) and Ng Eain Yow (Boys u15) , 1 of them bagged silver which is Mohd Farez Izwan (Boys u15) and lastly 1 bronze from Jean Wong (Girls u15).

MSSM Squash 2013

6 of our players will be competing in the MSSM competition starting from today. They are Mohd Syafiq, Mohd Aqif, Mohd Farez Izwan, Ng Eain Yow, Jean Wong and Teh Min En. We wish them the best of luck for the tournament.

Rachel chalks up another major win en route to final of NSC Series No. 1 championships

On a roll: Rachel Arnold prepares for a return against Lisa Camilleri of Australia at the National Squash Centre at Bukit Jalil yesterday. — GLENN GUAN / The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Rachel Arnold continued her giant-killing feat to storm into the final of the NSC Series No. 1 Squash Championships at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The 16-year-old qualifier firmly held her own against Lisa Camilleri of Australia to record an 11-9, 11-3, 11-6 win in the semi-finals.

With yesterday’s win, Rachel has achieved her first ever final appearance in a Women’s Squash Association (WSA) tournament.

And she could well be on the way to become only the second youngest Malaysian woman to win a title after world No. 1 Nicol David, if she gets the better of Denmark’s Line Hansen in today’s final.

Top seed Hansen proved too strong for Egypt’s Nouran El Torky, winning 11-6, 11-3, 13-11 in the other semi-final.

Rachel, however, did not start well against Camilleri, a former world No. 28 who is making a comeback after 17 months on the sidelines due to a foot injury.

The Malaysian looked lost in the early stages and trailed 3-9 at one point.

But she snapped out of the slump and reeled in eight straight points to take the first set.

It was all Rachel in the second set and despite a stiffer resistance from Camilleri in the third, it was a comfortable win for the Bukit Jalil Sports School student.

“This is my first WSA final and this is really an unbelievable feeling,” said a delighted Rachel.

“I was just trying to play my best and go all out. This tournament has really been a pleasant surprise for me because I was never expected to reach the final.

“Getting through to the main draw was my initial target.

“But having beaten Siti (Munirah Jusoh) in the first round, my confidence grew and I started to play better too. I’ve not really thought about winning but I do know it took my sister awhile before winning her first title. I would like to get one over her though,” joked Rachel.

Delia is Rachel’s older sister and is currently the third ranked player in the country.

Meanwhile, in the men’s event, top seed Ivan Yuen had to dig deep into his reserves to come back from two sets down before beating compatriot Elvinn Keo 11-13, 11-13, 11-8,11-3, 11-6.

“I had a terribly slow start, especially in the first two sets while everything Elvinn hit went it,” said Ivan.

“But after losing two sets, I just told myself to forget about the pressure and go all out and it worked. Hopefully, I’ll perform better in the final and give my opponent a real fight ... although I’ve never seen him prior to this tournament,” added Ivan, who will take on Egypt’s Ahmed Abdel Fattah for the title.

Results

Semi-finals

Men: Ahmed Abdel Fattah (Egy) bt Mahesh Mangaokar (Ind) 11-9, 8-11, 11-9,6-11, 11-5; Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Elvinn Keo (Mas) 11-13, 11-13, 11-8, 11-3,11-6.

Women: Line Hansen (Den) bt Nouran El Torky (Egy) 11-6, 11-3, 13-11; Rachel Arnold (Mas) bt Lisa Camilleri (Aus) 11-9, 11-3, 11-6.

Rachel upsets sixth seed Zulhijjah and moves into the semis

KUALA LUMPUR: Teenager Rachel Arnold continue her giant killing act by upsetting sixth seed Zulhijjah Azan to reach the semi-finals of the NSC Series No. 1 tournament at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Rachel, who stunned national No. 4 and world No. 44 Siti Munirah Jusoh in the first round on Tuesday, showed maturity and composure in her game to win 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 in 35 minutes.

This is the first time Rachel, ranked 115 in the world, has reached the semi-final stage on the professional circuit.

Rachel will face third seed Liza Camilleri of Australia for a place in the final.

The Australian had no problems disposing junior player Vanessa Raj 11-6, 11-7, 11-5.

Rachel, a Form Five student of Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), said it was great to beat two higher ranked players in the tournament.

“I proved my win over Siti was no fluke by beating Zulhijjah (world No. 82) today,” said Rachel, who will turn 17 on April 16.

“It really feels great to create two upsets and reach my first ever semi-finals. I hope to break into the top 100 in the world rankings after this two wins,” said Rachel.

Top seed Line Hansen of Denmark eliminated Egypt’s Salma Nassar 11-4, 11-8, 11-8 and will face another Egyptian, seventh seed Nouran El Torky in the semi-finals.

In the men’s competition, top seed Ivan Yuen staved off a strong challenge from India’s Ravi Dixit before prevailing 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2 to reach the last four.

Ivan will square off with compatriot and fourth seed Elvinn Keo for a place in the final.

Third seed Mahesh Mangaonkar of India eliminated Christophe Andrew of France 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 to set up a last four clash with Egypt’s Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah.

Results

Quarter-finals

Men: Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Ravi Dixit (Ind) 11-7, 4- 11, 11-8, 11-2; Elvinn Keo (Mas) bt Thomas Ford (Eng) 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5; Mahesh Mangaonkar (Ind) bt Jean Pierre Brits (Fra) 11-5, 11-5, 11-8; Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (Egy) bt Christophe Andre (Fra) 11-5, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2.

Women: Line Hansen (Den) bt Salma Nassar (Egy) 11-4, 11-8, 11-8; Nouran El Torky (Egy) bt Tong Tsz Wing (Hkg) 11-7, 12-10, 11-9; Lisa Camilleri (Aus) bt Vanessa Raj (Mas) 11-6, 11-7, 11-5; Rachel Arnold (Mas) bt Zulhijjah Azan (Mas) 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8.

Rachel downs Siti to score biggest win of her career

KUALA LUMPUR: Budding junior squash player Rachel Arnold (pic)scored the biggest win of her career after beating national No. 4 Siti Munirah Jusoh in the first round of the NSC Series No. 1 at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The 16-year-old Rachel, younger sister of national No. 3 Delia, was completely in control against the more experienced Siti, seeded second, to score a sensational 12-10, 11-5, 12-10 win.

It was a well deserved win for the world No. 115 Rachel as she showed great composure and focus to rattle Siti, ranked No. 44 in the world.

The win also proved to be sweet revenge for the Bukit Jalil Sports School student who lost to Siti in the quarter-finals of the Penang Open last October.

“To be honest, I never expected to win. But I’m really happy because it was a very tough match,” said a delighted Rachel.

“I was really focused today and the strategy to keep sending the ball to the back and playing the longer rallies paid off.

“Right now I’m feeling good and confident and I’m hoping that this form will carry on a little longer.”

Rachel’s reward for an excellent showing will be a clash against seventh seed Zulhijjah Azan in the quarter-finals. Zulhijjah thrashed fellow Malaysian, P. Pushppa Devi 11-1, 11-3, 11-0 in her first round match.

“It will be another tough challenge, taking on Zulhijjah, but I believe that I have a chance,” said Rachel.

Fellow teenager Vanessa Raj also produced a top display as she easily downed Australia’s Jessica Turnbull 11-6, 11-4, 11-3. She will face another Aussie – third seed Lisa Camileri for a place in the semi-finals.

In the men’s event, top seed Ivan Yuen kept up his bid for a second Professional Squash Association (PSA) title after beating compatriot Mohd Hannan Tarmidi 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 in the second round.

He will take on India’s Ravi Dixit, who came back from 2-1 down to beat Malaysian youngster Mohd Addeen Idrakie in five sets, next.

Fourth seed Malaysia’s Elvinn Keo also made the quarter-finals after beating Hong Kong’s Cheuk Yan Tang 11-3, 11-7, 11-7.

NSC Series One

6 of our players are participating in the NSC Series One tomorrow morning. They are Mohd Syafiq, Ng Eain Yow, Jadeleen Lee, Rachel Arnold, Teh Min Jie and Zoe Foo Yuk Han. The tournament will be held at the National Squash Center at Bukit Jalil. Wish our players good luck.

Eain Yow picks up 2012 Sportsboy award

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong presenting Bukit Jalil Sports School student Ng Eain Yow the Anugerah Putera trophy at the MSSM-MILO award ceremony while (from left) Nestle Products Sdn Bhd sports marketing manager Ng Ping Loong and consumer marketing manager - MILO Ng Su Yen look on. Also present are (second from right) deputy director-general Sufa'at Tumin (education operation).

KUALA LUMPUR: Talented junior squash player Ng Eain Yow has added another feather to his growing list of achievements when he bagged the MSSM-Milo National Sportsboy award.

The 15-year-old Eain Yow, who has been on fire over the last two years, was named the top Sports­boy of 2012 on Wednesday.

This is in recognition of his impressive performances on the local and international scenes, including winning the Asian Junior Championship, the Milo All Star and Penang Junior Opens and the national junior championships.

He is the first male squash player to pick up the award.

“I didn’t expect to win this award ... actually, I was only in­­formed about it last week,” said Eain Yow, who has already started the year on a high – winning his second British Junior Open in January.

“This is a good encouragement for me to continue to work harder and bring in good results.

“I also feel that squash is definitely going in the right direction as we’re consistently bringing in results. Hopefully, my team-mates will continue to win awards like this every year.”

The KL-born player, however, does not have much time to celebrate as he will shift his focus to the first leg of the CIMB National Junior Circuit, which starts in Kuantan today.

The squash fraternity also received another boost when reigning Asian Under-13 champion Nur Aliah Izzati Anis of Penang picked up the Promising Sportsgirl award.

Other results saw Olympian diver Traisy Vivien Tukiet picking up the National Sportsgirl award and Sarawak swimmer Nee Gui Ping the Promising Sportsboy award.

2012 MSSM-MILO AWARD WINNERS

National Sportsboy: Ng Eain Yow - squash (RM5,000)

National Sportsgirl: Traisy Vivien Tukiet - diving (RM5,000)

Special Awards (RM2,500 each)

Boy: Abdul Aziz Mohd Zahit - cycling

Girl: Loh Ying Ting - wushu

Special Education Award (RM2,500 each)

Boy: Lim Chee Chong - track & field

Girl: Siti Nooradhiah Ismail - track & field

Promising Sportsboy: Nee Gui Ping - swimming (RM2,000)

Promising Sportsgirl: Nur Aliah Izzati Anis - squash (RM2,000)

Dedicated Teacher Award (RM2,500 each)

Male: Lee Yock Chin - table tennis

Female: Rasia Ak Lutang - track & field

Leadership Award: Abdul Rahman Mohd Nor - sepak takraw (RM3,000)

Squash or studies dilemma for Rachel

This is an important year for Rachel Arnold – she has to decide between professional squash and studies.

Her performances in several upcoming tournaments, starting with the Asian Junior Team Championships in Seoul from Feb 20-24, will definitely be taken into account when she she sits down to decide on what to do at the end of this year.

Her main tournament this year is the World Junior Championships in Poland in July.

“I want to be a professional squash player like Nicol David and Low Wee Wern but it all depends on how I fare in all the tournaments this year. Studies are just as important to me. I’ll make a decision at the end of this year,” said Rachel, who will be sitting for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

“For now, I’m doing fine juggling my time between studies and squash.”

The 17-year-old Rachel is determined to live up to her role in the team event in Seoul as the third player. The top two players are national juniors Vanessa Raj and Celine Yeap. The other member of the team is Teh Min Jie.

“This is the first time I’ll be playing as the third player in the deciders. In fact, this is my debut in a team event at the junior meet. I took part in the individual event last year and made it to the quarter-finals,” she said.

“I played in a team event once but that was in the Malaysian Games (Sukma). I was the first player for Kuala Lumpur and we finished third.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to deliver when it matters most in Seoul. The fancied teams at the Asian juniors are Hong Kong and India. It’ll be great if we can reach the final.”

Rachel, the younger sister of national No. 3 Delia, took up squash when she was five years old largely due to to the influence of her father Raymond Arnold, who was a national coach at that time.

“I’ve not won any major junior titles. I was ranked fifth in the recent British Juniors. I’m looking for better results this year and, hopefully, do well in the World juniors, which is my main event this year,” she said.

For the record, Malaysia swept both the girls’ and boys’ titles in 2009 Asian Junior meets. But last year, the girls’ team lost to Hong Kong in the final while the boys’ team lost to Pakistan in the semi-finals.

The boys’ team comprise Sanjay Singh Chal, Muhd Syafiq Mohd Kamal, Darren Chan Ti Lunn and Mohd Amir Farhan Ampandi. All of them will leave for Seoul tomorrow.

Source: The Star Online

Pencapaian 2012

1. Dua orang atlet telah dipilih mewakili pasukan Malaysia ke Kejohanan 'British Junior Open' di Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
2. Lima orang atlet telah dipilih mewakili pasukan Malaysia ke Kojohanan 'Pontefract Junior Open' di West Yorkshire, UK
3. Dua orang atlet telah dipilih mewakili pasukan Malaysia ke Kejohanan Berpasukan Asia di Sri Lanka dan berjaya mendapat tempat ke-3
4. Sembilan orang atlet telah dipilih mewakili ke Kejohanan Remaja Asia di Amman, Jordan dan 2 orang berjaya menjadi Johan serta seorang Naib Johan dalam kategori masing-masing
5. Enam belas orang atlet telah menyertai Kejohanan Terbuka KL CIMB di Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur dan berjaya mendapat 1 pingat emas & 1 pingat gangsa
6. Enam belas orang atlet telah menyertai Kejohanan Terbuka Antarabangsa 'Milo All Stars' di Petaling Jaya dan berjaya mendapat 1 pingat emas & 2 pingat gangsa
7. Enam belas orang atlet telah menyertai Kejohanan Terbuka Antarabangsa di Pulau Pinang dan berjaya mendapat 1 pingat emas, 2 pingat perak & 3 pingat gangsa
8. Lima belas orang atlet telah menyertai Kejohanan Remaja Kebangsaan CIMB (Sirkit 1) di Bukit Jalil dan 2 orang berjaya menjadi Johan kategori masing-masing
9. Sembilan orang atlet telah menyertai Kejohanan Remaja Kebangsaan CIMB(Sirkit 2) di Kuching, Sarawak dan 2 orang berjaya menjadi Johan  serta seorang Naib Johan dalam kategori masing-masing
10. Enam belas orang telah menyertai Kejohanan Remaja Kebangsaan CIMB(Sirkit 3) di Pulau Pinang dan berjaya mendapat 1 pingat emas, 1 pingat perak & 1 pingat gangsa

ASIAN JUNIOR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, SEOUL KOREA(20-24 FEB 2013)

 3rd day

Dear All,

The boys bt Japan 2-1 with Sanjay losing to Ryosei Kobayashi  3-0
(7,14, 4). Made too many unforced errors in the 1st and was not
volleying enough. Listened to instructions n in the 2nd volleyed a lot
more with Ryosei trying to slow down the game with lobs and was
unlucky to 14-16 by a drop into the tin.Didn`t try in the 3rd and lost
easily.
Farhan went on next and easily bt Ryunosuke Tsukue 3-0 (6,2,4) Shafiq
also won easily beating Noaki Hayashi 3-0 (4,0,6)

We play Pakistan tomorrow. Pakistan by Korea 2-1.
Hong Kong Bt Kuwait 2-1
India Bt Iran 3-0


The girls team lost to Hong Kong 2-1. Vanessa went on first but could
not get her game going as she was very nervous and also a bit drained
of energy from the stomach upset she had the day before. She tried but
everything did not happen for her.

Rachel played very well today following instructions to detail. She
started off very well getting a big lead. In her haste of finishing up
the game quickly she let her opponent back into the game but she
managed to finish of the game. Her 2nd game was quite loose and gave
her opponent an easy game. She got her focus back in the 3rd and 4th
and won those games quite easily.

Celine started off the 1st game very promising running to a 3-0 lead
but she lost her focus and wanted to put the ball away too early
allowed her opponent to get some counter attacking move in. After that
she could not get her length going and her opponent with more
confidence now finishing off the next 2 games.

Full results below:-
Vanessa lost to Ho Kah Po 3-0 (3/11,3/11,4/11)
Rachel bt Choi Uen Shan 3-1 (11/9, 5/11,11/4,11/2)
Celine lost to Ho Tze Lok 3-0 (6/11, 4/11, 3/11)

Semi finals Malaysia play India and Hong Kong play Japan.

2nd Day

Dear All,

Both the Boys n Girls teams played Sri Lanka. Both won easily 3-0.
Only Farhan dropped a game. Order of play was 2,3,1.

Girls
Celine bt Naduni Gunawardene 8,4,7
Min Jie bt Gayara Jayasuriya 4,5,4,
Rachel bt Mihliya Methsarani 8,7,6

All easy games.

Boys
Shafiq bt Shamil Wakeel 1,5,4
Darren bt Viduranga Udantha 4,5,6
Farhan bt Ravindu Laksiri (7), 3,8,7

All easy games too except for Farhan who was a bit nervous in the 1st
game. But recovered well after that.
Boys are playing Kuwait at 6pm and that will be quite a tough tie.

1ST DAY

Dear All,
Our 1st matches went on today. The boys played Chinese Taipei and we
won 3-0. All the boys won 3-0 easily. Farhan went on 1st as the order
of play was 2,1,3 and won 1,1,0 playing Chang Chin Min. Next Sanjay
went on and won easily too in 2,5,7(Chen Hhieh Ming. Next was Shafiq
and he went on to beat Fu Chin Ching 6,3,3.

In the girls things were a bit different. Rachel went on 1st and was
very nervous and only playing well in patches losing 9,9,5 to Sadia
Gul. Then Vanessa went on to play Sammer Anjum winning 3,3,8
relatively easily. Then Celine went on to play the decider and won
easily too, beating Riffat Khan 2,3,3,

Tomorrow boys play Sri Lanka and Kuwait and girls play only Sri Lanka.
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