Sepaktakraw team to tryout in M'sia

SEMARANG (JP): Central Java men's sepaktakraw team will take on a Malaysian team in a warm-up tournament ahead of the 15th National Games (PON) in Surabaya, East Java, in June, coach Setyo Budi said here on Wednesday.

"We will compete in Malaysia because its team is the most advanced among Southeast Asian countries. Hopefully, we can improve our athletes' performance through this tryout," he said, adding that his team would also face Riau in Pekanbaru.

He said that he had prepared the best team for the quadrennial event. "We are optimistic that we can get a minimum of two golds in PON. We won the overall championship in the pre-qualifying round for PON last November, whereas, in the 14th PON, we earned only two bronzes."

The Central Java team boasts several members of the 1999 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games team, including senior player Rasiwan, Mustakim, Edy R., Masrianto and Joko M.

Setyo Budi said tough challenges will come from Riau teams, who also have national players on their rosters.(har)