| Fadhil Yunus |
KUALA Lumpur got off to a perfect start in the Gasing Championship being held in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne after registering a 9-3 victory over Brunei Darussalam ‘A’ in the preliminary round at the Gasing Court of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex yesterday.
With the win, Kuala Lumpur moved to the top of Group ‘B’ while Brunei ‘A’ faced the danger of elimination with the tie against Miri Sarawak, drawn.
The visitors were off to a strong start after collecting three points before a decision was awarded in their favour for three new points as Brunei were left trailing by some distance.
The hosts finally got off the board to take some consolation before the referee signalled the end of the tie.
While six teams from Brunei Darussalam participating in the championship, visiting teams are Kuala Lumpur, Lawas, Sipitang ‘A’ and ‘B’, Miri Sarawak and Federal Territory of Labuan.
Split into four groups of three, the top two will advance to the knock-out stage with the winners playing the runners-up of the group and vice versa.
Brunei ‘A’, who missed out on a chance of pulling back in the tie, will be hoping to bounce back against Miri Sarawak to remain in contention for the next round.
The other matches yesterday also saw two all-Brunei Darussalam battles as well as ties between Brunei Darussalam ‘F’ and Lawas and Brunei Darussalam ‘E’ and Sipitang ‘B’.
The competition will resume today as the opening-day winners look to cement their place in the knock-out stage.
Each team has four players with both sides taking turns of spinning the top and hitting the top.
The referee decides whether the hitting aspect of the game is deemed legitimate and if it is ruled out, then the opposing team will receive their opportunity to be on the hitting end.
The losing semi-finalists will compete in a third place playoff. The final will be held tomorrow at the same venue.
The post KL move to top in Group B appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.