BRUNEI is in the final of the 3rd Borneo Games triple sepak takraw category after beating Melaka in their semi-final yesterday.

They will face East Kalimantan in the championship match at 2:30pm at the Sg Kebun Sports Complex in Lumapas today.

The Bruneian team of Abd Adib Hj Ahmad, Abd Hadi Ariffin Mat Ali and Md Azri Tahir beat Melaka's Helmi B Hashim, Md Suhaimi Mohd and Md Kaermawuaya Kadir 21-11, 21-19 yesterday in a match that lasted nearly an hour.

Md Shahrul Meyasin and Md Basyiruddin Hj Kamis were listed as reserves.

East Kalimantan's had a harder time booking their ticket to the final.

The trio of Juno Pornomo, Misbahudin and Sutikno lost to Sabah's Harmimi Saibil, Khirul Kaz Oto and Md Tarmizi Abdan 22-20 in the first match but bounced back in the next two sets, winning 21-18 and 15-13. The match took 67 minutes.

Despite not making it to the final of the double category today, the national team's coach was still pleased.

"I think we did well to get to the final," said Muhd Maziz Abdullah.

"We had to keep disciplined to win this game and we also had to control our tempo," he added.

Despite not knowing much about their opponents in today's final, the coach was insistent his players not look down on Melaka.

In a previous interview, Muhd Maziz said he considers Melaka as the biggest threat in the event.

However, he also stated that the triples team has the best chance of a medal, so it should be a interesting final.

The team will definitely be out for revenge after Melaka beat them 2-1 in the semi-finals of the double category to knock them out of contention for gold today.

Hosts of the 2010 Malaysia Games (SUKMA), Melaka are the only one of the seven competing contingents not from Borneo island - and Muhd Maziz is not underestimating them.

"I would say we have a 50/50 chance of winning gold," he said.

"Melaka are also good, if not they won't be in the final," added Muhd Maziz.

Coaching these set of players for the past four years and he said the same squad of five players will contest today's final.

The team won silver in the team event on Tuesday after losing to Sabah 2-1.

The defending champions in the event won the first set 21-15, 21-14 but saw Sabah turn the tables in the second and third set.

The Sabahans won the second set 21-10, 21-19 and took the third set 21-18, 21-17 to clinch the deal.

Sarawak beat Labuan 2-1 for the bronze.

Brunei have now won a medal in the team event for every year since the inauguration of the Games in Sabah in 2005, where they returned with silver and then the gold in 2007 in Kuching, Sarawak.

More than half of the team represented Brunei at the 24th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Thailand in July and the 2009 World Sepak Takraw Championship in Terengganu, Malaysia in May.

Courtesy from Brunei Times