PIALA PUSINGAN TAN SRI K.R. SOMASUNDRAM SEMPENA HARI MERDEKA 2013

This is the third junior tournament of the year organized by Times Badminton Academy.

Aaron continues to progress well in the U10 category reaching the final but lost to Thaanesh Devar from Melaka by one solitary point. The break through came in the second round, when Aaron beat his nemesis, Wong Vin Sean 30 - 28, as the latter was the defending champion in the second tournament by Times BA, with Thaanesh Devar, the runner up. Aaron’s head to head record with Vin Sean now stands 2 – 1 in his favour but the SSBA club player remains a tough opponent and should not be taken lightly.

Ryan made it to the third round in the U12 category to cross sword with Chong Ee Jack again. Ee Jack was the same player who halted Ryan’s run in the first Times BA tournament last April. Ryan could not bring up his game as Ee Jack was visibly a much improved player since the first time they met. Ryan’s head to head record with Ee Jack is now trailing at 0 -2.

In the U12 doubles, the brothers qualified for the semi-finals by beating their team mates, Lee Jia Quan/Abdul Rahman in a closely contested match 30 - 28. This was a significant win for the brothers as they claim their bragging rights in the Putrajaya camp. However, their semi finals vs Putrajaya’s circuit pair Clement Lau/Ho KaTim was beyond the brother’s level. The brothers could have gotten a more respectable score if not for Aaron conserving for his U10 singles final.

Overall, I can say it was a satisfactory tournament for the brothers. Aaron won two medals, silver for U10 singles with cash RM70 and bronze for U12 doubles, while Ryan took home a bronze medal for the U12 doubles. They displayed better maturity in their doubles partnership thanks to the private trainings albeit only in its infancy stage but is gradually seen to be bearing fruit.

Times BA will again run it’s forth installment in 19^th October and we are looking forward to it.

Boys Singles Under 10 Results

1^st Round  :        Aaron vs Jason Manimaran         30 -  9              

2^nd Round  :       Aaron vs Wong Vin Sean            30 - 28

3^rd Round  :       Aaron vs Hadrian Soh                 30 - 15

Quarter Final :   Aaron vs Wu Zhen Bing               30 - 15

Semi Final :       Aaron vs Low Hong Seng            30 – 21

Final :               Aaron vs Thaanesh Devar            29 - 30

Boys Singles Under 12 Results

1^st Round :         Ryan vs Lai Lit Theng                 30 -  8

2^nd Round :        Ryan vs Lim Yi Ke                     30 - 28 

3^rd Round :        Ryan vs Chong Ee Jack              20 - 30

Boys Doubles Under 12 Results

1^st Round :         Ryan/Aaron vs Chan Jun Han/Phuang Hong Wei              30 - 16

2^nd Round  :       Ryan/Aaron vs Liew Zi Wei/Yap Zi Nam                           30 -  2

Quarter Final:    Ryan/Aaron vs Lee Jia Quan/Abdul Rahman                      30 - 28

Semi Final :       Ryan/Aaron vs Clement Lau/Ho Ka Tim                             7 - 30

U10 Boys Singles L to R : Thaanesh Devar, Aaron Wong, Low Hong Seng & Teoh Hong Kai

U12 Boys Doubles Semi Finalist

Another awesome results by the Wira Tangkis Team

WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE

Last Sunday, despite a mild stomach discomfort (after his bouts of vomiting two days ago), Ryan still went ahead with training at Precinct 11. However, Aaron was left at home as he had not recovered fully from his injured knee after visiting Perak BA.

My otherwise insipid weekend was about to change unexpectedly. After some shuttle drills, Ryan sparred with his school mate, Jia Quan in singles. I sat up with interest, entertained by the two boys heated contest. Despite his weakened state, Ryan surprisingly beat Jia Quan in the first set 21-11. Jia Quan came back in the second to win 21-18. There was no stopping them for the decider. However, the match was halted at 11-10 in favour of Jia Quan when the coach put a stop to the match as Ryan was visibly exhausted.

I knew the boys would eventually catch up with the Harcroft No.1 sometime in the year. Seeing Ryan stealing a game off him earlier than expected has certainly given the boys a positive boost.

Beginning August, we decided to change the training regime by engaging private coaching replacing group centralized training in MBA. No doubt, their court hours will drop off the chart but we had to address the skill gap that was felt wanting in the tournaments especially measuring up against players in the quarterfinals and beyond. We are hopeful the focus on dedicated trainings in skill development will shift their game towards the next level.




Private coaching "green bar" will gradually replace the "blue bar" from now onwards.