| Fadhil Yunus in Kuala Lumpur |
BRUNEI Darussalam’s trio of Ampuan Ahad bin Ampuan Kasim, Haji Naim bin Brahim and Pengiran Haji Tengah bin Pengiran Haji Tejudin bagged a silver medal in the Men’s Triples at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games at the National Lawn Bowls Centre, Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The national lawn bowlers fell to a 19-9 defeat to Malaysia’s trio of Mohamad Fairus bin Abdul Jabal, Mohd Amir bin Mohammed Yusof and Mohammad Syamil Syazwan bin Ramli in the final.
Thailand trio of Wattana Kadkhunthod, Anan Naksaray and Thanakrit Thammasarn claimed bronze.
The lawn bowlers’ validated confirmation that the country has bettered their overall performance compared to the previous edition in Singapore after tallying two silver and six bronze with five competition days to spare.
“During the early stages of the game, we were a stretched out a little bit but we bounced back and closed down their score,” said Pengiran Haji Tengah in an interview.
The national lawn bowler said that they were only expecting to win bronze before admitting that Malaysia were the favourites to win gold.
The national trio had to concede defeat after 17 ends with two ends to go because they were not able to chase the points Malaysia had built though Naim showcased a good level of play.
“We are very blessed and privileged to reach the final,” concluded the national lawn bowler.
His team-mate Ampuan Ahad was nearly in tears following their excellent journey and remarkable effort towards reaching the final.
“We’re extremely honoured to reach the semi-finals and winning silver today. The three of us made history,” he said.
The national lawn bowler dedicated the victory to the Brunei supporters both at home and those who have made the trip to Malaysia.
Their final result was an improvement compared to their first meeting in the preliminary rounds when the national trio lost to the hosts 27-7.
Brunei recorded two out of three victories in the preliminary rounds after edging Thailand 19-17 and defeating Philippines 16-12.
Meanwhile, the female National Lawn Bowls team comprising Hajah Ajijah binti Muntol, Norafizah binti Matossen and Suhana binti Md Daud added bronze to the country’s haul in lawn bowls after beating Thailand in the Women’s Triples event.
Presenting the medals was Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin.
The national lawn bowlers’ silver success marked the second time that the nation has achieved the medal colour in this edition after the heroics of Basma Lachkar in wushu.
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