Sepaktakraw team to tryout in M'sia

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)