Liga Layar Malaysia Leg 2 Match Racing at Lumut - Day 2
by Noor Asyikin Sazali 27 Apr 2014 13:40 BST
26-28 April 2014
Koo, Qaedi, Masyuri book semis berth in tricky winds conditions
Liga Layar Malaysia (LLM) leader Jeremy Koo of Sime Darby Foundation-KRT maintained an iron grip in his quest for a second-leg victory by sealing a semi-finals berth in Lumut.
Koo continued his commanding round-robin form in the last eight as he took an early 1-0 lead over Mohd Faizal Norizan in the best-to-three tie. Tricky wind conditions however played in Faizal's favour in the next round as the Royal Langkawi Yatch Club/MYA captain hauled his side back level at 1-1. The decider was an intriguing affair, but Koo and Co. held on to clinch a 2-1 victory and sail into the last four.
The 32-year-old was a relieved man after a brief scare from Faizal in the last eight.
"We had a good lead in the second round, but missed one of the windshifts and went into a light patch. The wind conditions were tricky today, but I'm happy we learnt from our mistakes and raced a lot smarter in the third round. I'm confident with my crew and am looking forward to tomorrow," said Koo.
Joining him in the semis was Nik Ashraf Qaedi of KFC Malaysia/MYA Racing Team, who inspired his team to a similar 2-1 win over the promising Mohd Saifullah of MSNT Sailing Team.
Mohd Masyuri Rahmat, who had earlier succumbed to Koo in the final flight, stormed back in the last eight with a resounding 2-0 win over 2012 Olympian Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy of Uitm/MYA Match Racing Team to join the semis cast.
Beaten quarterfinalists Khairulnizam, Saifullah and Faizal will contest it out in a three-way battle on Monday, with the first winner to two wins joining the trio in the last four.
The LLM second-leg in Lumut also concludes on Monday with the semi-finals, petit-finals and final fixture.
Full round-robin standings:
Jeremy Koo (Sime Darby Foundation-KRT) – 6-0
Nik Ashraf Qaedi Nik Azizan (KFC Malaysia/MYA Racing Team) – 4-2
Mohd Masyuri A. Rahmat (Royal Malaysian Navy Match Racing Team) – 4-2
Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy (UiTM/MYA Match Racing Team) 3-3
Mohd Saifullah (MSNT Sailing Team) – 2-4
Mohd Faizal Norizan (Royal Langkawi Yatch Club/MYA) - 2-4
Rizal Mahadi (Setiawest/RSYC) – 0-7
Quarter-final standings:
Jeremy Koo (Sime Darby Foundation-KRT) 2-1
Nik Ashraf Qaedi Nik Azizan (KFC Malaysia/MYA Racing Team) – 2-1
Mohd Masyuri A. Rahmat (Royal Malaysian Navy Match Racing Team) – 2-0