SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES: INDONESIA BAGS BOTH TEAM TITLES

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS REPORT is presented by badminton world champions YANG YANG (1987 and 1989) and ZHAO JIAN HUA (1991) and by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS **

October 14, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Powerful Indonesia today won both finals of the badminton team events at the 19th South East Asian Games in Jakarta and as expected took the gold medals. The men's team beat the Malaysian male squad 4 matches to 1 while the women's team blanked Thailand 5-0.

Despite the large margin, the men's team victory was not all that easy for the host Indonesians in the early going. Heryanto Arbi, the Indonesian number one in singles, was severely tested by Ong Ewe Hock in the opening match. The first game was a tossup with Arbi coming out on top 15-13. In the second game, Arbi was very erratic, striking many of his smashes out-of-bounds. The top Indonesian also began to look quite tired. Ong took advantage of Arbi's errors and tiredness to run away with the second game 15-4.

In the third, Ong pressed his advantage and reached the all-important 13th point first. Arbi though caught up with patient and careful play. At 13-all, Ong did not exercise his option to set or call for a 5-point tiebreaker. This proved his undoing as Arbi scored the two points he needed to win 15-13.

In the second match, the Malaysian pair of Tan Kim Her and Rosman Razak beat the careless and nervous tandem of Sigit Budiarto and Chandra Wijaya, the men's doubles world champions. Tan and Rasak bounced back from a 9-15 first game setback to win the next two 15-6 and 17-14.

The victory by Tan and Rasak gave the undermanned Malaysians a glimmer of hope with the meet tied at 1 match apiece.

However, the Indonesians would not be denied.

Indra Wijaya defeated Yong Hock Kin 15-7 and 15-8, and then Olympic champions Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja scored the gold-medal clincher when they beat Chew Choon Eng and Lee Chee Leong 15-6 and 15-9 to the delight of the 3,000 fans who had crowded into the 1,000-seat Asia-Africa hall at the Senayan sports complex.

Joko Suprianto took the last match, defeating Jason Wong 15-3 and 15-9.

In the women's team final, Susi Susanti staked Indonesia to a one-match lead with her 11-1, 11-4 win over Pornsawan Plungwech in the opener. Denyana Lomban and Indarti Isoliana increased the Indonesian margin when they beat Sara Lee Toongthongkam and Ticha Boonyarak 15-7 and 15-5.

Mia Audina then clinched the gold medal for the hosts as she beat Thitikan Duangsiri 11-5 and 11-6.

Eliza Nathanael and Resiana Zelin defeated the pair of Pornsawan Plungwech and Somharuthai Jaroensiri 15-5, 15-8, and Meiluawati took the measure of Natsaran Boonvoramatee 11-4 and 11-5 to complete the whitewash.

In the bronze medal playoffs staged this morning, Thailand defeated the Philippines 4 matches to 1 to take the men's team bronze medal, while the Malaysian women's squad beat the Singaporeans also by a score of 4-1.

The scores in the bronze medal playoffs:

MEN'S TEAM EVENT
Thailand beat the Philippines 4-1
(Thai names first)
Apichai Teeraratsakul beat Melvin Llanes 15-10, 18-16
Khunakorn Sudhisodhi/Kitipon Kitikul beat Anthony Ave/Naresh Ramnani 15-4, 15-4
Anupharp Teeraratsakul beat Ian Piencenaves 15-3, 15-8
Pramote Teerawiwatana/Siripong Siripool beat Melvin Llanes/Ian Piencenaves 15-6, 15-10
Krid Chuaynarong lost to Kennevic Asuncion 12-15, 9-15

WOMEN"S TEAM EVENT
Malaysia beat Singapore 4-1
(Malaysian names first)
Lee Yin Yin lost to Zarinah Abdullah 0-11, 6-11
Ishwari Boopathy beat Chin Yen Peng 11-3, 11-3
Woon Sze Mei beat Fatimah Lim Kumin 11-4, 8-11, 11-2
Ang Li Peng/Norashikin Amin beat Zarinah Abdullah/Lee Yue Zanetta 15-3, 15-10
Lee Yin Yin/Ishwari Boopathy beat Chin Yen Peng/Fatimah Lim Kumin 15-12, 15-3

(fontanilla/migrossman)