Explorer 1 catches RM10,000 top prize
Published on: Monday, April 14, 2008
Kota Kinabalu: A combined catch of 38.5kg fishes landed three-men team Explorer 1 the main cash prize of RM10,000 in the Sabah International Fishing Tournament (SIFT) 2008 that ended Sunday.Lai Kok Sheng hauled a whooping 20.8kg grouper while Leong Soon Kin caught a 7.6kg grouper and Yong Thou On, a 10.1kg wahoo.Team Vun 1B comprising Lim Che Siung (16.8kg grouper), Johnny B. Stephen (6.2kg amber jack) and Mah Kim Yung (6.6kg amber jack) won second place that earned them RM3,000.
ADVERTISEMENT
Third place team 7-Star-2 who are made up of Lee Sow Ken (8kg kingfish), Yong Cheng Wai (8.2kg kingfish) and Ang Eng Seng (8.3kg kingfish) took home RM2,000.Team 7-Star-3 comprising Yong Young Chai (6.8kg barracuda), Yau Bze Pheng (7.3kg amber jack) and Chia Sheng Chwan (6.8kg mackerel) won RM1,000.In the individual category, no anglers managed to win the top prize of RM1,000.Martin Wiles catch, a 12.4kg wahoo earned him RM500, a fishing rod and a cap while Lee Chee Chan's 8.6kg barracuda earned him similar prize.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chin Tsun Yee (5.5kg grouper) and Leonard Lee (6.8kg snapper) earned them similar prizes too.President of Sabah Anglers' Association (SAA) cum organising chairman, Datuk Wilfred Lingham, said he was elated with the number of participants in this fishing tournament.
ADVERTISEMENT
Given the number of anglers, 101 in all, taking part, he said it shows the tournament is getting good response from local fishing enthusiasts including from other countries."We've got an Australian, a New Zealander, two from the UK, seven from Sarawak, one from Hong Kong and five from West Malaysia that took part in the tournament."The number also is the biggest since the fishing tournament was mooted several years ago," he said.Credit, he said must be accorded to the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) who have done an excellent job in promoting the three-day event.Wilfred said it was also due to good planning when they decided to hold the event earlier than the annual Labuan Fishing Tournament that would be held on Aug 21."I think it was also partly because we've increased the top prize from RM5,000 to RM10,000," he said.In order to attract more anglers in the SIFT next year, Wilfred said they are seriously looking at improving the prizes.Labuan Fishing Tournament, it was learnt, offers RM25,000 as the main prize.Wilfred said the condition of the sea was perfect during the three-day tournament held 20 nautical miles off Pulau Mengalum.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
