FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES OCT 2014

I was critical with the way some tournament organisers ignored fundamental guidelines regarding draws. To me it reflects the lack of empathy these organisers have regarding players welfare. At the very least, open tournaments must identify state players from the rest. I have made my assertions to seed these players so as to avoid matches worthy of a final to occur in the early rounds. Otherwise, open draws will be very much a tournament of chance.

A look at the lob-sided draw in U11 this month had me fuming as Aaron was drawn in the same half with two state players, whereas the other half was virtually an express lane to artificial glory. How is it that the organisers could turn a blind eye on this flaw although they have an archive of all previous results published in their own website at their disposal?

I dont need a crystal ball to predict how Aaron’s tournament is going to end. In the quarters, he has an outside chance to get the better of Chia Jeng Hon (Pahang) whom would have been the first seed. Nevertheless, we can draw some positives out of this game. He can match the Pahang ace now in his racquet craft but still lacks the astuteness for the final kill. He is still a little short on big-match temperament.

Back to the draw, it is my fervent hope that  tournament organisers will give this a serious thought. I am sure many participants and parents will support the adoption of the seeding system (where ever possible) to bring equity and quality to grassroots badminton in Malaysia.

 BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Preliminary – Aaron vs  Frederico Jonathan      30 – 12
2^nd Preliminary – Aaron vs Hadrian Soh                   30 – 21
Qtr Final – Aaron vs Chia Jeng Hon (Ph)                  16 – 21, 12 – 21

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES AUG 2014




L to R : Edmund, Ryan, Hanson & Brandon rep



Flex Pro August schedule was for U12, U13 & U14. Both boys were registered under U12.  However,  I noted quite a number of players participated in two age categories – the second being a higher age category. The group format competition presents an ideal opportunity for these players to spar with worthy opponents inexpensively ie. RM15 with a minimum of 3 games per group. If they qualify for the knock-out stage and thereafter, that will be bonus.

Aaron was bundled up in group A with some notable players.  Aaron started off against Edmund On - a Selangor circuit player and I knew he would be too high a hurdle for him. As expected, he could not match Edmund’s racquet trickery and took a heavy beating,  11 – 30.

His second match with Ting Wen Xuan was a reprisal because Aaron had beaten him before but that was last year. Will Wen Xuan get his revenge this time? Aaron took the early lead but Ting caught up and led during the break. Aaron stayed closely behind as both fought point for point. At one point Ting almost got away as he opened a 4 point lead but somehow Aaron managed to dig deep and came back. Towards the end, Ting committed a few unforced errors and handed the game to Aaron 30 -29.

In the third group match, Hadrian Soh was also no stranger to Aaron. For the record, they have met once or twice before but Aaron has not lost to him yet.  This was also a closely contested match. Aaron took the lead during the break but towards the last third, Hadrian led Aaron. Again Aaron managed to find his way back and took the game back 30 – 28.

Being a parent having to endure games like these were truly not for the faint hearted. It took me a while to recover my pulse back down to a sane level.  This time around, only the group leaders qualify for semi-final. Aaron was one game short because Edmund won all 3 games. Thus Aaron’s U12 campaign ended but not without a good show.

Ryan’s group B was more forgiving. He started off against Chakrit. Although he led Chakrit comfortably 2/3 of the game and was almost home and dry, unexpectedly he lost his way in the final third. Five consecutive errors from Ryan saw Chakrit burst through the finishing line and left Ryan bewildered. I confronted him but he could not explain his performance. He was playing too cautiously with his hand brakes on.

The second match was against Soo Zhi Ying, a girl. I sat a court away in the hope that he will play better without my presence. Fortunately for him, she was not a match for the group.

Final : Edmund & Ryan

His final group match was with Chong Hao Wei whom he had a rousing match beating Chakrit earlier. We knew Ryan stood a chance to top the group if he beat him. Hao Wei was tall and he smashes a lot but he has a notable weakness. He was crutching his chest and was short of breath. I pointed to Ryan that he was in better shape and to take advantage of Hao Wei’s lack of fitness. Hao Wei played right into Ryan’s game, rallying front and back of the court, Hao Wei was made to run and in the end, he was a spent force.

Although both Chakrit and Ryan had 2 wins each, the good news was Ryan had two points more and therefore qualified for the semi finals the next day. He was really upbeat about the competition because he did not expect to come so far. The next morning, Ryan unexpectedly had a fever. However, he was determined to play. So we gave him a dose of paracetamol to suppress his fever. He took on a 9-year old Hanson Low and won his semi-finals in straight sets to meet Edmund On in the final. Although the final was a foregone conclusion, but Ryan played with a lion heart under less than ideal physical condition. He took home a silver medal, a Flex Pro shirt and a certificate. His job was done and he slept for the rest of the day.

BOYS SINGLES U12
Group A
1^st Game – Aaron vs  Edmund On                              11 – 30
2^nd Game – Aaron vs Ting Wen Xuan                        30 – 29
3^rd Game – Aaron vs Hadrian Soh                              30 – 28

Group B
1^st Game – Ryan vs Chakrit                                           25 – 30
2^nd Game – Ryan vs Soo Zhi Ying (f)                            30 – 10
3^rd Game – Ryan vs Chong Hao Wei                            30 – 14
Semi-Final – Ryan vs  Hanson Low                               21 – 11, 21 – 9
Final – Ryan vs Edmund On                                          13 – 21, 9 – 21

FLEX-PRO JR SINGLE SERIES JULY 2014

L to R : Roslin Fozi, Aaron Wong, Derrick Eng & Chia Jeng Hon

The Powerful Group of Companies began this private junior league this year whereby players at various age-groups participate in an all-year round league contest to accumulate points for the grand finals at the end of the year. Something akin to the BWF World super series except this is only a few grain of sand on the beach. Apart from their other businesses, they own a badminton hall in Kepong complete with a junior academy. They also market their own brand of badminton equipments and merchandise, the Flex Pro brand.

Following their July schedule, Aaron participated in the U11 singles. In the round-robin group match, he topped his Group B after winning all 3 matches (including a walkover). From quarter-final onward, the competition switched into elimination rounds. Aaron crossed over to meet the runners-up of Group C and won. In the semi-final, he was up against Derrick Eng, a Johor state player. I knew Aaron would fell short playing with Derrick because I have seen the performance of the bespectacled lanky player in past tournaments. All I could advice Aaron was to stay relax, take it as a training lesson and try to match the pace as long as he can. Aaron tried but alas, Derrick’s badminton craft was a notch or two higher than Aaron’s.

Derrick advanced to the finals but lost to the Pahang U12 rank No.1 Chia Jeng Hon. Next month Flex Pro’s scheduled a U12 league whereby both Aaron and Ryan will participate. Stay tuned.

BOYS SINGLES U11

1^st Preliminary – Aaron vs  Loo Zi Yi                           30 – 5

2^nd Preliminary – Aaron vs Roslin Fozi                      30 – 18

3^rd Preliminary – Aaron vs Alif Daniel                       Walkover

Qtr Final – Aaron vs Roslan Fozi                               21 – 15, 21 – 13

Semi-Final – Aaron vs Derrick Eng (Jh)                    13 – 21, 17 – 21