Len Talif (fifth left) with the team members at Wisma Sumber Alam yesterday.
KUCHING: The KGS-OBYU Inter Team Match Play is a great platform for golfers from the 16 teams to interact and integrate each other in the competition that stretches over two months.
The event sponsored by OBYU Holdings commenced on March 7 and ends on May 29.
Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration & Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh has likened the inter-team competition to Ryder Cup, a biennial golf contest between teams from Europe and the US, with all teams involved in intense rivalry for the top honours.
“Because it is a team effort, the atmosphere is much different when compared with normal tournaments. That is where the ‘kick’ is.
“On behalf of the participants, I would like to thank OBYU for sponsoring the event and KGS for being the host,” he said.
Rivalry aside, Len Talif said all participants had fun playing in a relaxed atmosphere and were engaged in cracking jokes with no one gets offended.
“I like this competition. l have been playing in it since it was incepted in 1998 and I was a member of Team Metro Glide that won the challenge trophy in 2005.
“Furthermore, it is played over weekends and I am able to find time to play in the competition especially during the Movement Control Order and Conditional Movement Control Order period,” he told The Borneo Post after chairing the Si’at Balau team meeting at his office at Wisma Sumber Alam in Petra Jaya yesterday.
Len Talif is the founder of Si’at Balau which is a newcomer to the competition but comprised of seasoned campaigners who have won in some editions over the years.
“The other teams didn’t select us to be their members and out of frustration, we decided to form our own team.
“We chose the name ‘Si’at Balau’ over the initial proposed ‘ulat mulung’ because it means sago worms in Melanau and in way it is an unique name just like other teams who call themselves Ruemahkytak, King Lobster, Titans and others,” he related.
The Kuala Rajang assemblyman said Si’at Balau are very confident of winning their next match against HGA next Sunday and ultimately they want to be the champions.
“So far, we have won one game 3-2 against HH Brothers and lost 1-4 to Sarawak Energy in Group C.
“The defeat to Sarawak Energy is a small hiccup in our campaign and l am confident we can bounce back strongly to advance to the next stage.”
Si’at Balau are currently second in Group C with three points from one win and one defeat while the leaders are Sarawak Energy who have bagged two wins for six points.
Team captain and chief strategist Kasim Gani shared Len Talif’s sentiment, saying that he would come up with a plan to secure the win for the team in the next match.
“Yes, the team spirit is high and we are taking advantage of a week’s break to try out several combinations,” he said.
Meanwhile, defending champions MH KGS Junior will definitely need a win today when they play against last year’s semi-finalists in their second group match, which will be a repeat of their semi-final clash last year.
It wouldn’t be easy for MH KGS Junior but captain Mohd Lokman Mustaffa admitted that they need to win the three crucial points to stay in the main competition.
“J&J 5 have the advantage based on their handicap and I am just hoping that our players can do their best to win the match,” he said.
“We are ready for the game and we are confident of beating them,” J&J 5 captain Kua Yang Hock who added his team is out for revenge after losing to the Juniors in the semi-finals last year.
Harmoni Team One and Harmoni Team Two, boosted by their wins in their respective opening group matches, will also be looking forward to extend their winning run for a better position in Group B and Group D.
The former will take on all-Korean team KPGA at the Santubong Nines while the latter will face last year’s first runners-up Ruemahkytak at the Matang Nines.
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