TIGERS UNITED

Thai talent Chanachok Dejpiratanamongkol endured a nervous finish to close with a three-under-par 67, completing a wire-to-wire victory for his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the inaugural Singha Phuket Open on Sunday. The 23-year-old Thai, who held a four-shot advantage heading into the final round, dropped two bogeys in his closing three holes to sign off with a four-day total of 27-under-par 253, claiming a one-shot victory in the two million baht (approximately US$58,140) ADT event. Newly-crowned Asian Tour champion Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand gave himself a fighting chance for a back-to-back win as he rolled in a birdie putt from one club length on the last to close with a 64 and take second place on his own at the highly-rated Laguna Golf Phuket . Thai hotshot Sutijet Kooratanapisan stole the limelight by producing a magnificent 59 to grab third place on 256. His sizzling round of 59, highlighted by one eagle and nine birdies, would have been a new reco

LIGA SUPER: SELANGOR 0 - PAHANG 2 Selangor fell to their fourth consecutive match without a win after losing 2-0 at home to Pahang in their Liga Super match on Wednesday. Pahang, who lost to Kedah in FA Cup Final on Saturday, bounced back to claim their 7th win from 13 matches in Liga Super this season. Selangor boss P.Maniam named Amri Yahyah and Andik Vermansah into his squad to support Forkey Doe upfront. While Dollah Salleh fielded the same line-up who played against Kedah in the FA Cup final. Both teams had the same share of posession in the first half. However no goal was scored as the goalkeepers were playing at their best. Pahang were very patient and relax against the Red Giants . The deadlock was finally broken in the 74th minute, by Matheus Alves .  The Brazilian headed into the net after receiving a fine pass from Matthew Davies , and Selangor's goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid could do nothing to stop the ball. Nine minutes later, Alves doubled his tally and his

The six-week training stint in Florida is paying off handsomely for the Malaysian waterski team. The young SEA Games team have been training extensively at the Cory Pickos ski site since April. And the rewards came rich as they exploded in a flurry of record smashing performances at the Florida Inboards Open at the Santa Rosa Beach last weekend. First off was nine-year-old Adam Yoong Hanifah who broke his elder half-brother - Alex Yoong 's 24-year national record in tricks on Saturday. All expectations were on the 11-year-old Aiden Yoong Hanifah to smash the 3,830 record Alex, then 17, had set during the 1993 Malaysian Open . Instead it was the youngest sibling Adam, who surprised when scoring 3,920 to finish first in the U13 category. Aiden, who had one trick disallowed due to poor execution, settled for a new personal best of 3,780 and second place in the same category. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Syahir Nasir also had a memorable weekend as he broke the national sl

Thai Rattanon Wannasrichan completed a sensational wire-to-wire victory at the Thailand Open , closing with a four-under-par 67 to win by two shots for his maiden Asian Tour success on Sunday. The baby-faced 21-year-old, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round, kept his composure to return with a round of five birdies against one bogey and a winning total of 21-under-par 263 at the Thai Country Club . Despite stumbling with a bogey on the last, Rattanon managed to hold off the combined challenges from Indian duo Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar , who settled for second place, in the US$300,000 event, which returned onto the Asian Tour schedule this week following an eight-year lapse. Kapur, who was chasing for back-to-back wins, sank four straight birdies in his closing five holes to pile the pressure on Rattanon before signing for the day's best score of a 63. Bhullar, a seven-time Asian Tour winner, impressed with a birdie-birdie finish after chipping in from 35

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: MALAYSIA 22 - SRI LANKA 9 Malaysia beat Sri Lanka to win the Asia Rugby Championship Division one title. The back-to-back victories mean their World Cup dream remains alive for the qualification process for the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. After winning the Division One title last year, the Bunga Raya squad had shown so much improvements this year and ready to contest against Asia's big teams, Japan , Hong Kong and Korea . Malaysia ranked 16 places below Sri Lanka in the World Rugby Rankings, took the lead with a try by Jone Mawara Nasalo in the 3rd minute. However, Sri Lanka got their act right and scored two penalties through Thilina Wijesinghe Gurukandure Gedara in the 10th and 14th minutes. And the game got tougher for Malaysia as Jone Mawara and Samuela Tamanisau were shown the yellow cards by the referee. Sri Lanka went into the break with a narrow 6-5 lead. The Tuskers increased their advantage in the 56th minute with another penalty scored

MALAYSIA FA CUP: KEDAH 3 - PAHANG 2 Kedah ended nine years wait to win the their fourth FA Cup after beating 10-man Pahang 3-2 in the final at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday. The FA Cup is Kedah's third silverware in seven months after winning the Malaysia Cup in October and the Sultan Ahmad Shah Cup in January. After a slow start, the Red Eagles suddenly took the lead in the 20th minute when Ken Ilso tapped in Syazwan Zainon 's cross. Things turned more difficult for the Elephants after Kiko Insa was sent-off in the 32nd minute following two bookings in the space of seven minutes. Kedah went two-up in the 45th minute as Baddrol Bakhtiar drove in low after receiving a pass across the box from Syazwan. Heo Jae-won gave Pahang a lifeline with a strike just before half-time to reduce the deficit. Pahang looked the more dangerous from the start of second half, dominating possession and coming close several times in search of an equaliser. However, it was Kedah who fou

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: PHILIPPINES 34 - UAE 26 Phillippines claimed the third place in the Asia Rugby Championship Division One after defeating United Arab Emirates (UAE) 34-26 in their last match on Saturday. The Volcanoes recorded their only win at the championship after losing to Sri Lanka and Malaysia in their previous matches. The Philippines were quick to take the lead. Justin Coveney stunned UAE with a try in the first minute. Ten minutes later, UAE bounced back with a converted try by Edward Talbot and Andrew Stevenson . The Volcanoes were ahead again and claimed the first half advantage from two tries by Kevin Gordon and Patrice Olivier . UAE reduced the deficit as Stevenson scored a penalty three minutes after the match resumed. They took the lead again in the 66th minute a try by Ryno Fourie and two penalties by Stevenson. The Philippines did not give up and fought hard until the end. Two tries in the second half by Coveney and Olivier ensured the V

MIAT Falcons clinched the Putrajaya Rugby League after beating Bangi Hunters 40-22 in the Cup Final at the Alamanda Rugby Field on Sunday. The young Falcons took control of the match after the Hunters made an early try in the first half. They responded with three tries to two and lead 19-10 at the break. MIAT players showed consistent performance after the break. Another three tries were enough for MIAT Falcons to become the Putrajaya Rugby champions. In another match earlier Kajang Rams beat SAAS Woriyo 31-10 to claim the Plate title. Eight top clubs were featured in the Putrajaya Rugby League this year, which started in March. tigersunited.blogspot.my

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: MALAYSIA 40 - PHILIPPINES 8 Malaysia took a step closer to the Asia Top Division after a convincing 40-8 victory over the Philippines at the Asia Rugby Championship in Ipoh. The host, who were stunned in last year's opening match by the same opponent showed great character to record the big margin victory. Malaysia were without two key players due to injury and concussion, took seventeen minutes before breaking the duck against the Philippines. Sakiusa Terence Gavidi 's try and coversion by Wan Mohammad Asyraf conversion gave them the lead, but the Volcanoes reduced he deficit with Timothy Bweheni 's penalty. The Bunga Raya squad scored another three tries through Syarif Nurhidayat Muzhaimey , Amirul Sani and Wong Wye Wye . Despite missing a few conversions, Wan Mohammad Asyraf 35th minute penalty was enough for Malaysia to take a strong 25-3 advantage at half time. Malaysia returned to the pitch with the same motivation. They

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: SRI LANKA 33 - UAE 17 Sri Lanka kept their title dream alive as they beat United Arab Emirates  33-17 in the Asia Rugby Championship Division One second match. The Tuskers had a tough first half but manage to overcome UAE challenges in the last forty minutes. UAE did not let it gone easily but Sri Lanka had the stamina to control the game until the end. Sri Lanka's Fazil Marija stunned UAE with a quick try inside the first minute of play. But UAE bounced back in the 4th minute with Andrew Stevenson 's penalty. They took the lead in the 18th minute after a converted try by Glen Moore . The Tuskers got another try two minutes later through Danuska Ranjan , and Thilina Wijesinghe did not miss the conversion. Thilina scored another penalty for Sri Lanka in the 31st minute, but Andrew Powell and Stevensen reduced the deficit to just one point at the break. Sri Lanka returned for the second half with a slim 18-17 advantage. Lee Keegal was quick to inc

PIALA FA MALAYSIA: NEGERI SEMBILAN 1 - PAHANG 2 *Pahang win with 3-1 aggregate Pahang advanced to the final match of Malaysia FA Cup competition after edging Negeri Sembilan with 2-1 win at Paroi Stadium, on Saturday. The Elephants took the lead through Heo Jae-won goal in the sixth minutes. The South Korean defender rose high to head Ahmad Syamim Yahya free-kick past Negeri Sembilan goalkeeper, Saiful Amar Sudar . Spurred on by the home crowd, Negeri Sembilan fought back to reduce the deficit. Japanese striker, Bruno Suzuki cheered the home crowd with an equalizer after receiving a through pass from Lee Andrew Tuck . But it was all over for Negeri Sembilan after Pahang subtitute, Christie Jayaseelan slot the ball into the net during stoppage time which the goal that took Dollah Salleh team through to the final. Pahang won the match with 3-1 on aggregate. They will face Kedah in the final at Shah Alam Stadium on May 2 0 th. tigerssupersports.com

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: MALAYSIA 36 - UAE 22 Malaysia displayed a fine performance to claim a good start in the Asia Rugby Championship 2017 (ARC) after beating United Arab Emirates (UAE) 36-22 on Sunday. The defending champions showed full of confidence to take control of the game from the start until the the final whistle. The last time both team played against each other was in 2015, where Malaysia won it narrowly 20-19 in the Division Two. Jone Mawara Nasalo opened the scoring for Malaysia with a try in the 14th minute before Mohd Fairuz Ab Rahman delivered the conversion. However, UAE equalised eight minutes later through Ryno Fourie 's try and Andrew Stevenson 's conversion. The Bunga Raya squad regained the lead in the 35th minute from another try by Jone. Mohd Fairuz scored the conversion and another penalty for his team to take a good 17-10 lead at half time. Lee Nyuk Fah 's players continued their good performance after the match resumed. Just six minutes

ASIA RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: SRI LANKA 24 - PHILIPPINES 13 Sri Lanka started their Asia Rugby Championship 2017 (ARC) campaign brilliantly as they defeated Philippines 24-13 in Ipoh, Malaysia. The Tuskers showed a strong performance against the Volcanoes to secure their first win at the tournament. Thilina Wijesinghe gave Sri Lanka the lead after just four minutes from a penalty. Danuska Ranjan increased their advantage with a try in the 12th minute. The Tuskers went into the break with 11-0 lead as Thilina succesfully scored a late penalty in the first half. The Philippines were more organised in the second half. They held their opponent and earned their first three points from a penalty by Kevin Gordon . Sri Lanka bounced back and pulled away with a converted try by Richard Dharmapala in the 25th minute. The Volcanoes pumped the pressure on Sri Lanka. But the Tuskers were steady although they conceded a try by Justin Conveney five minutes before the end. Danuska scored another

Gunners Rugby Club dominated the Negeri Sembilan Premier Rugby League final before claiming a 34-22 victory over SORAC Rugby Club . The Gunners took advantage over the unsettled SORAC team to lead the first half at the Georgian Green, Seremban with 22-10. SORAC tried to fight back in the second half, but The Gunners were more experience to take the NS Premier League title. SORAC RC reached the cup final after beating TMS Oldboys 32-15 in the semifinals, whilst Gunners hammered Wiseguys RC 33-6 in the last four. In earlier match, Wiseguys RC claimed the Plate title after beating TMS Oldboys 27-24 with a last minute try. Home Of Warriors overcame OGA with a narrow 11-10 victory to take the Bowl title. Nine best teams in Negeri Sembilan played in the NS Premier Rugby League this season which started on March 4th. 

Sri Lanka will go all out at the Asia Rugby Championship Division One this year. Ranking as Asia's number 4 put them as favourite to claim the title despite losing it to Malaysia last year. Team manager, Rohan Chinthaka and Fijian head coach, Fereti Verebula have a mixture of youth and experience in the squad, which are ready to rock in Ipoh. Roshan Weeraratne from Kandy Sports Club will lead his team mates against some of the best rugby teams in Asia. Experienced players like Fazil Marija , Sharo Fernando , Sajith Saranga , Danushka Ranjan , Sathya Ranatunga and Lee Keegal are also named in the final squad. Ashan Darling , Nishon Perera , Tariq Saleh , Udesh Madushan , Joel Perera , Thilina Weerasinghe , Richard Dharmapala and Richie Dharmapala will make their debut at the championship. Sri Lanka will face the Philippines in the opening game, followed by the United Arab Emirates on May 17, and Malaysia on May 20. facebook.com/thematch.my

The Philippine Volcanoes , fresh from their remarkable finishes in two international tournaments, are all set for the Asia Rugby Championship . The Volcanoes who won their opening match against Malaysia last year, could only watch the host nation claimed the prestigious Asia Division One title at the end of the championship. Philippines Jake Robrigado Letts believed that the Asian Rugby Championship Division One is a tough level of competition for them. They have to go for three wins out of three matches to take the title and stand a chance to compete in the 2019 World Cup qualifying. The Volcanoes are expected to field a solid line-up in Ipoh with Oliver Saunders , Justin Coveney , Edlen Cortez , Kevin Syusu Gordon and Jake Letts in the squad. They defeated Singapore 29-17 to win the Transcom Rugby Championship last month. Philippines will be up against Malaysia, Sri Lanka and UAE on their way to the Asian glory. nohal.com/megalyrics

LIGA SUPER: PULAU PINANG 1 - FELDA UNITED 2 Norshahrul Idlan Talaha late goal gave Felda United a 2-1 victory over Penang at Batu Kawan Stadium. Felda United took the lead on the night through Argentine striker Lucas Cano . The Argentinean opened Felda's account in the 17th minute. However, the host restored parity through Nigel Dabingyaba eight minutes after the restart.  Norshahrul turned hero as he found the net in the 89th minute. Felda United are now sixth in standings with fourteen points while Penang remain bottom with five points. The next three matches will be an indication for Penang to escape from the relegation. https://www.facebook.com/GombakAgro/

Malaysia will take the field this Sunday to defend their Asia Rugby Championship Division One title and get into the Asia Top 3 pool. The 2016 winner will face United Arab Emirates who were promoted after winning the Division Two last year. Sri Lanka and the Philippines will also put their best 15's in the race to stand a chance to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Malaysia had a good preparations for the Asia Rugby Championship. They played two warm-up matches in Australia last month, won 78-17 over Emerging Force and 28-26 over Palmyra Rugby Club . Head coach, Lee Nyuk Fah believes his team is ready to take the Division One title again. The return of Dinesvaran Krishnan and Marc Le will bring the extra strength into the Bunga Raya squad. Both of them are playing professionally in Japan since the past few years. Team captain, Mohd Syahir Ashraf Rosli hopes that his team mates' performances will peak during the championship. www.tig

SELANGOR RUGBY LEAGUE COBRA STINGS 27 - RHINOZ WARRIORS 7 Cobra Stings displayed another convincing performance as they beat Rhinoz Warriors 27-7 at Padang Utara on Sunday. The Stings maintained their good run in the Selangor Rugby League by claiming their sixth victory of the season. Cobra Stings took full advantage of playing on their home ground and take a comfortable 16-0 lead before the break. Shariff Abdul Rahman and Justin Soon delivered two tries for the home side. However, it was the 16-years-old Justin who turned out to be the man-of-the-match with his accurate kicks which left the Rhinoz far behind. Cobra Stings will face X-Lions in the Cup semifinals. The Lions reached the last four after defeating RIOBA RC 12-7 in the quarterfinals. Rhinoz Warriors will play against RIOBA RC in the Plate semifinals.  rugbyasia.net

LIGA SUPER: MELAKA UNITED 2 - PKNS FC 2 Melaka United are still struggling to find their good form after recording two losses and three draws for their last five matches. Playing against PKNS FC last Wednesday, the host were held to a 2-2 draw at the Hang Jebat Stadium . In the 32nd minute, Spasojevic opened the scoring for the Melaka from the penlty spot.  However, the visitors equalised three minutes later through Patrick Wleh and followed by a goal from Safee Sali in the 40th minute.  Spasojevic however has saved his team by scoring his second goal of the night three minutes before half time. Both team came back in the second half to find more goals, but the score remained until the final whistle.

Shiv Kapur of India ended an 11-year and four months wait for a second Asian Tour title when he claimed a convincing victory at the inaugural Yeangder Heritage on Sunday. The 35-year-old Kapur fired with a sparkling eight-under-par 64 highlighted by eight birdies – five of which came in his closing seven holes – to emerge victorious at the US$300,000 Asian Tour event. With a winning total of 16-under-par 272, Kapur defeated Malaysian rising star Gavin Green (67) and overnight leader Yikeun Chang of Korea (68) by two shots at the National Golf Country Club . Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand carded a 67 to end his campaign in fourth place while Poom Saksansin (68) and Miguel Tabuena (68) of the Philippines finished a further shot back in fifth place. Kapur, who won the 2002 Asian Games individual gold medal in Korea, started the final round two shots back of the lead but a hot homeward stretch earned him a well-deserved victory. Yeangder Heritage (Final) 272 - Shiv KAPUR (IND)