Host teams win eight out of 39 matches

KUCHING: Sarawak’s male and female individual representatives delivered outstanding performances in their opening group matches at the Boccia Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA) XXI 2024.

The host teams achieved an impressive eight wins out of 39 matches played yesterday (Sept 23) at the Sarawak Basketball Association court, showcasing strong performances on their home ground.

Sarawak’s male singles Boccia player, Willyien Chliff Honseng, delivered the contingent’s first victory in the competition, dominating Sabah’s Mohammad Nazmie Linus with an impressive score of 9-2 in their opening group match.

Fatimah (centre) poses with the Boccia Sarawak Contingent when visiting the athletes at the Sarawak Basketball Association

Willyien Cliff throws his ball towards the jack ball (the white ball)

Sarawak earned another victorious win in the males single when Jervis Chi won 10-0 against Sabah’s Alfred Jester Andrew.

In a tense match, Sarawak’s female singles player Sheirviana clinched a hard-fought 5-2 victory over Penang’s Visalatchi, securing Sarawak’s third win in the Boccia competition and adding to the team’s growing success.

Dale Adelric Teri secured a 9-1 victory over Muhammad Asyraaf from the Federal Territory, while Tay Boon Seng followed with a dominant 7-0 win against Melaka’s Bryan Lye Guan Yong.

In the afternoon, there was a clash between two home representatives in the women’s singles category. Angeline Melissa Lawas secured a 9-1 win in a face-off against Nur Aisyah Madzelan.

In his second match on the opening day of the Boccia event, Willyien Cliff secured a decisive 17-1 victory over Kesavarou Siva, while Dale Adelric also claimed his second win, defeating Selangor’s Muhammad Ammar with a score of 5-1.

Despite a strong effort, Sarawak’s male singles player Muhammad Nur Sharizan fell short of victory, losing a closely contested match 3-4 to Sabah’s Arby Rodziary.

In the afternoon, the Boccia athletes received an unexpected visit from Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, the Minister for Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development, who showed her support for the competitors.

Boccia, pronounced bot-cha, was introduced in 1984 as a sport specifically designed for athletes with locomotor function disabilities, particularly those with cerebral palsy, and the objective of the game is for players to throw, kick, or use a ramp to propel their balls onto the court to get as close as possible to the jack ball, which is usually a white ball.