Sri Santubong delivers two days of petanque action

KUCHING: The 18th Sri Santubong Open Doubles Petanque Championship has wrapped up after two days of intense competition involving players from across Malaysia and overseas.

Held on Oct 3 and 4 at the Nurir Rahmani Mosque Petanque Arena and SMK Santubong, the tournament brought together teams from several Malaysian states, government agencies, institutions and clubs, alongside international participants.

In the Open Doubles, Team AM 01 emerged champions after defeating LCDA 02, 13-10 in the final, while LCDA 03 and KEPS shared third place.

For Kampung Santubong native and team member of AM 01 Safirul Abdul Halim, the victory added another memorable chapter to his long association with the tournament.

Safirul, who has been playing petanque for 16 to 17 years, said the competition remained challenging, particularly when facing strong teams from Peninsular Malaysia.

He also singled out PDRM as one of the teams they had to pay close attention to during their campaign.

“The challenge is learning from the mistakes we make. When we face better players, we have to deal with it,” he told Sarawak Tribune.

Champions, podium finishers, officials and participants gather for a group photo following the conclusion of the open championship.

Safirul said he enjoys taking part in major tournaments and has competed in the Sri Santubong event whenever it has been held, making the latest victory particularly satisfying.

In the Women’s Doubles, LCDA 04 claimed the title after defeating BINTANGOR 01 13-2 in the final, with BINTANGOR 02 and LCDA 01 finishing joint third.

The winning pair of Nur Thahira Tasnim and Norita Abdul Latiff brought their own history to the tournament, having first crossed paths during preparations for Malaysia Games (SUKMA) Sarawak 2016 at Santubong.

The tournament also attracted international participation, including teams from Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, adding an international dimension to the annual Santubong competition.

The closing ceremony was attended by LCDA Holdings’ chief operating officer, Kusyairi Bostani, LCDA’s corporate affair senior manager Saiful Bahari Amra Ramly, PSPBK representative Jefri Nawi and Lea Sports Centre representative Melati Melembeh.

International representation at the ceremony included Sabrian Mohd Syah of the West Kalimantan Petanque Association, Norhaini Dollah of the Boules Federation of Brunei Darussalam and Nyoman Yamadhiputra of PB FOPI of Indonesia.

AM 01’s Safirul (right) and his teammate, Ikmal, celebrate after clinching the Open Doubles title at the championship.

Tasnim (left) and Norita celebrate after winning the women’s doubles title.