MSBF must ‘pot’ Kok Leong into good frame of mind

On target: Lim Kok Leong won the world amateur snooker title last year.

PETALING JAYA: Motivating double world champion Lim Kok Leong will be the biggest challenge faced by Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia as the Cambodia SEA Games nears.

Kok Leong partnered Moh Keen Hoo to win the world amateur doubles title in Kuala Lumpur last October.

It just got better for Kok Leong when he became the first Malaysian to become world amateur snooker champion in Antalya, Turkey, a month later after beating Amir Sarkhosh of Iran in the final.

However, Kok Leong was beaten by SEA Games teammate Rory Thor Chuan Leong in the Penang ranking snooker championship in February and the Asian Snooker Championships in Doha last month. Both defeats were at the semi-final stage.

Kok Leong and Keen Hoo will be relied upon by the MSBF to achieve their two-gold target where they are expected to deliver in the snooker and 6-reds doubles.

“We are looking to improve on our one-gold haul in Hanoi and we are looking at the doubles through Kok Leong and Keen Hoo,” said Melvin.

“The snooker singles and 6-reds singles are very unpredictable, and anyone can win here but we are looking at a silver medal in one of those events.

“My concern is Kok Leong, who is slightly low on confidence after losing to Rory in Penang and later in Doha.

“I need to keep motivating him and put him in a good frame of mind so that he can raise his level.

“He is still playing well and is not really affected by being the world singles and doubles champion but is slightly shaken after his defeats to Rory.”

Kok Leong won the 6-reds singles gold in Hanoi last year but lost to veteran James Wattana of Thailand in the snooker singles final.

However, Malaysia will be relying on Kok Leong and Rory in the snooker singles where the pressure is expected to be on Wattana.

“It is a blessing in disguise that Kok Leong has done well against opponents from other nations. Kok Leong and other players are not too worried about the Thais,” said Melvin.

“Chuan Leong has the experience and was runner-up at the Asian Championships.

He is also in good form.

“The pressure should be on Wattana and we do have a chance in snooker. The 6-reds singles is a fast game and anything can happen there.”

Melvin’s confidence in winning the doubles stems from the fact that Keen Hoo has a cool head and can give Malaysia an advantage in Cambodia with his natural flair.

Keen Hoo also returned from the World Heyball Masters (pool event) in Qinhuangdao, China, where he reached the quarter-finals and will be looking forward to the SEA Games challenge.

Malaysia will only send a total of five players to Cambodia with pool contestants Daryyl Chia and Mohd Almie Yakub, who are part of the project squad for the 2025 and 2027 SEA Games, completing the cast along with Kok Leong, Keen Hoo and Chuan.

Malaysia will not be sending any women cueists this time as the women’s pool, where Suhana Devi Sabin was supposed to compete, has been scrapped by the organisers.