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New Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Snooker squad left in limbo as SEA Games organisers go silent
KUALA LUMPUR: A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the national snooker and billiards squad ahead of the Thailand SEA Games (on Dec 9-20), with organisers under fire for a lack of communication and vital event information. Since 2007, veterans Thor Chuan Leong, Lim Kok Leong, and Moh Keen Hoo have delivered 11 gold medals for Malaysia, missing out only at the 2009 Vientiane and 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games. But the team's preparation for this year's edition has been thrown into disarray. Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia said their medal hopes could go up in smoke due to radio silence from the hosts. "It's quite frustrating for us. We're not getting any official updates from the organisers," said Melvin. "We're now hearing that snooker and billiards, which were initially set to take place in Chonburi, have been moved to Songkhla. "We wrote to them last October, but there's still no response. They've yet to provide the SEA Games technical handbook, and that's seriously affecting our planning." The handbook outlines crucial details such as rules, equipment regulations, and scheduling, all vital for organising squad selections and logistics. "If the events clash, we may need to bring more players. That's why we need the full details to plan accordingly," he said. Melvin also voiced concern over the limited range of events, saying the decision to include only snooker and billiards goes against the spirit of the Games. "There are eight snooker events and two in English billiards, but no pool or carrom," he said. "We understand the host nation has the right to choose events, but it should be done fairly. "What happens if the Philippines decide to offer only pool in the future, or Vietnam just carrom? We need to think of the sport's long-term development, not just winning medals." In total, 10 medals will be on offer in Thailand — four in snooker (singles and team), four in six-red snooker (singles and team) and two in English billiards (singles and team) Melvin warned that continued silence from the organisers could derail Malaysia's preparations, as training, budgeting, and athlete logistics all hang in the balance.
New Straits Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia's Asian dream snookered by India
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia came within touching distance of creating history at the Asian Team Snooker Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka only to settle for silver after a 3-1 defeat to India in the final on Saturday. The duo of Thor Chuan Leong and Lim Kok Leong fought bravely but were eventually outgunned by the Indian trio of Aditya Mehta, Brijesh Damani and Pankaj Advani, with frame scores of 58-68, 66-25, 75-33, 58-1 in the best-of-five tie. It would have been Malaysia's first-ever title in the prestigious team event. Still, the result marks a commendable end to a strong campaign for the national team, especially after Chuan Leong had created history earlier in the week by winning the Asian Six-Red Championship — becoming the first Malaysian to do so. To reach the final, Malaysia edged past Hong Kong 3-2 in a tense come-from-behind quarter-final on Friday, before producing a composed 3-1 victory over Pakistan in Saturday's semi-finals. While the partnership between Chuan Leong and Kok Leong lacked the fluid chemistry seen in more established pairings, their strong individual skills carried Malaysia all the way to the title decider. "It is a great result, considering that they paired up for the first time in a team event," said Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia. "Kok Leong used to partner with Keen Hoo, and with Chuan Leong, there's still a lack of chemistry between them. But this is also good news for us because India — who beat us — are not our Southeat Asian competitors. They had seasoned players like multiple world champion Pankaj Advani. Melvin believes the pairing has strong potential, with only minor adjustments needed heading into the Sea Games in Thailand later this year. "We don't have much to polish up — both are skilfully strong. The main area is pairing coordination. Both are sharp shooters, but Lim is weaker in safety play. That's what we need to work on in his preparation."
The Star
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Snooker heartbreak as Thor and Lim's brave run ends in final defeat to India
File pix of Thor Chuan Leong (left) and Lim Kok Leong with their medals for the men's snooker singles at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. — GLENN GUAN/The Star PETALING JAYA: Rory Thor Chuan Leong and Lim Kok Leong's gallant bid to bring home the first Asian 6-Red Snooker Team Championship title for Malaysia ended with a 1-3 defeat at the hands of India tonight (June 28). Newly crowned 6-Red Asian individual champion Chuan Leong made a good start when he overcame Brijesh Damani 68-58 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, India levelled the tie after Pankaj Arjan Advani won the next singles match against Kok Leong 66-25. India were in front after Advani-Damani combined to overcome Chuan Leong-Kok Leong 75-33 in the doubles match. Advani put up a clinical performance in the reverse singles match to seal victory for India, beating Chuan Leong 58-1. The Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia applauded the duo for fighting hard to raise the flag for Malaysia on the international stage again. "There was not much expected from both of them as this was their very first tournament since they represented Malaysia at the Cambodia SEA Games two years ago. "It was a very satisfactory achievement to bring back one gold and one silver. "Our next goal after this is to get ready for the Thailand SEA Games in December," he said. The Malaysian duo can certainly hold their heads high as they had performed well throughout the tournament to enter the final for the first time. Chuan Leong-Kok Leong were impressive earlier as they beat favourites Pakistan A 3-1 to set up a final clash against India, who carved out a 3-2 win over Hong Kong A in the other semi-final match earlier in the day. Malaysia had fought hard to beat Hong Kong B 3-2 to reach the semis and assure a medal.
New Straits Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysian snooker still excels despite budget cuts, says federation president
KUALA LUMPUR: Budget cuts and limited exposure have never stopped Malaysia's snooker stars from shining, and Thor Chuan Leong 's latest triumph proves it yet again. The 37-year-old created history by becoming the first Malaysian to win the Asian Six-Red Championship in Colombo on Wednesday, a feat hailed as a timely morale booster by Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia. With the Thailand Sea Games on the horizon, Chuan Leong's stunning victory couldn't have come at a better time. Compounding the good news, compatriot Lim Kok Leong also impressed by reaching the quarter-finals in what was his first international appearance in nearly two years. "There wasn't much expectation, especially for Kok Leong, as this was his first official overseas tournament since the 2023 Sea Games," said Melvin. "Due to budget constraints, we couldn't send our players to any officially-sanctioned events abroad over the past two years. But they stayed composed and delivered when it mattered." Chuan Leong's resurgence marks another chapter in Malaysia's golden era of snooker, led by himself, Kok Leong, and Moh Keen Ho — a trio that has carried the nation's hopes on the regional, continental and world stages since 2007. Keen Ho clinched singles gold at the 2007 Thailand Sea Games. Chuan Leong followed up with doubles gold alongside Sam Chong in Indonesia 2011, the six-red title in Myanmar 2013, and both singles and doubles (with Keen Ho) in Singapore 2015. Kok Leong captured six-red gold in Vietnam 2021 and doubles gold with Keen Ho in the Philippines 2019. Malaysia continued to dominate at the 2023 Cambodia Games, with Chuan Leong taking singles gold and Keen Ho winning the six-red event. The team also bagged silver in doubles (Kok Leong-Keen Ho) and two bronzes - Kok Leong in singles and the six-red doubles with Keen Ho. Beyond the region, Malaysia's proudest moment on the amateur world stage came in 2015 when Keen Ho and Kok Leong lifted the World Team Championship in Pakistan. "Chuan Leong came into this event hungry after losing his World Snooker Tour status," said Melvin. "His performance revealed both strengths and areas to improve, which will help us fine-tune his Sea Games preparations. "Kok Leong also had his moments, but unforced errors in the quarter-finals showed what still needs work. "The MSBF will continue sending both players to regional and international events through to the year-end, in the hope of sharpening them for Thailand, and ultimately, bringing home more gold medals."
New Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
MSBF hope to get Klang Valley training centre
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia hopes that the sport will get its own training centre in the Klang Valley soon to complement the new training facility recently launched in Penang. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh officiated the launch of the Northern Region Billiards and Snooker Academy in Bayan Baru on Friday (April 25). The National Sports Council had allocated RM500,000 for equipment for the academy while the Penang state government allocated RM1.3 million for renovation works. Melvin said MSBF is grateful for the support given to the sport but stressed that the addition of a centre in the Klang Valley would further boost talent development. "A few years ago, we proposed a Northern region training centre and a national training centre, but only the former was approved. We now hope that a national training centre will be set up soon," said Melvin. "Our top cueists and Sea Games champions – Moh Keen Ho, Lim Kok Leong and Rory Thor Chuan Leong – are from Penang but Keen Ho and Rory came up through the ranks when we had our training centre in Bukit Jalil. "When the national training centre was closed in 2012, we lost our base and could no longer run development programmes systematically. Our talent pool dried up. "During our glory years, legends Sam Chong and Ng Ann Seng trained in the Klang Valley. Having a centre here (Klang Valley) again would be a massive boost for our development programmes and preparations for major games." Melvin is optimistic new National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin will look into the matter. "Despite the lack of full-time programmes, our cueists have always delivered medals for Malaysia. The problem now is that our medal winners are aging," said Melvin. "They might last for one or two editions of the Sea Games at most.
