Boost for Penang table tennis

THE Penang Table Tennis Asso-ciation (PTTA) received a much-needed boost ahead of their up-coming Penang State Table Tennis Championships 2005.

PLB Engineering Berhad had chipped in RM10,000 to sponsor the competition, which will be held from Oct 16 to 22 at the Chung Ling (Private) High School Hall.

With the sponsorship, PTTA president Datuk Dr Michael Tiah said the competition this year would offer attractive prize money to the top four winners of each category.

“The competition, with RM4,600 prize money up for grabs, is expected to see a close contest in all the seven events as all the top players in the state have confirmed participation,” said Dr Tiah during a mock cheque presentation at Chung Ling (Private) High School recently.

PLB Group managing director Datuk Dr Rickson Ong, who is also the PTTA vice president, was on hand to present the cheque.

Tiah(second right)receiving the mock cheque for RM10,000 from Dr Ong(second left)during the cheque presentation.With them are(from left)PTTA vice president Tai Teik Yaw,state sports director Lee Hang Son,PTTA vice presidents Dr Koay Ban Hing and Datuk Lam Wu Chong.

Tiah added that more companies should emulate PLB in providing financial assistance to promote sports.

“There will be more public interest in sports when more companies give financial aid to support sporting acti-vities,” he added.

More than 100 state paddlers are expected to square off in four indivi-dual events – men’s singles, women’s singles, veteran men’s singles and non-Chinese men’s singles.

There is also the team event which will pit the skills of 33 teams in three categories – men’s team, women’s team and veteran men’s team.

Defending champion Peng Jia Ping looks set to reach the final in which he is expected to clash with second seed Goon Wei Cheng in the men’s singles final.

Also in the fray will be Jia Ping’s mentor, Choo Sim Guan of Chinese Swimming Club, who is given the third seeding and looks capable of giving the favourites a run for their money.

In the men's team event, Chinese Swimming Club will start off as the favourites and are expected to lock horns with last year finalists, Youngster, in the final.

All the matches are scheduled from 7.30pm to 10.30pm on weekdays while on weekends, the matches will be divided into two sessions, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm and from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.

For more details, call PTTA secretary Tan Kheng Hong at 012-4282762.