GEORGE TOWN: It was triple heartbreak for Selangor after losing in three finals of the 100Plus National Junior Inter-state Under-12 and Under-15 Team Badminton Championships at the Penang BA Hall in Bukit Dumbar on Sunday.
Selangor had been favourites to grab a hat-trick after qualifying for the boys’ Under-12 and Under-15 and the girls’ Under-15 finals. Instead, they returned from Penang without a single title.
Johor delivered the first blow to Selangor by taking the boys’ Under-12 title with a 2-0 win. It was then Malacca’s turn to inflict more misery on the Selangor camp after winning both their girls’ Under-15 singles and doubles final matches in straight games.
Selangor’s last chance of salvaging a victory fell to their boys’ Under-15 team. But Penang’s lanky Cheerandev Arutchewan had other ideas by thrashing Selangor’s Jhotiswaran karupathevan 21-14, 21-8 in the first singles.
Muhd Izzuddin Shamsul-Muhd Syazmil Idham kept Selangor alive with a clinical 21-14, 21-17 win over Ch’ng Choo Han-Ng Eng Cheong in the doubles to make it 1-1.
Loh Zefeng, who resides in Selangor but representing his birth state Penang in the championships, rose to the occasion in the deciding second singles match.
After easily romping home to a 21-13 win in the first game, Zefeng took it easy in the second game and allowed his opponent Lim Yik Fong to level the match with a 21-14 victory.
The fast-tiring Yik Fong, however, could not last his pace in the rubber game, allowing Zefeng to win 21-15 and clinch Penang’s winning point.
Kedah clinched the girls’ Under-12 title after a 2-1 win over Kuala Lumpur in the final.
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