PUTRAJAYA (24 December 2021): Butterworth Badminton Club and Ampang Jaya Badminton Club booked their semi-final berths in style in the Top Glove Purple League Pro-Am 2021 (TGPLPA).
As expected, both Butterworth BC and Ampang Jaya BC advanced from Group A and B respectively.
Joining the 2 badminton giants are Serdang BC who topped Group A and Bandar Maharani BC who finished second behind Ampang Jaya BC in Group B.
As players scrambled to salvage as many points for their respective clubs, Samuel Lee from Butterworth BC was in his elements today as he led his team to secure a semi-final spot.
Known for his energetic display, Samuel Lee showed sheer consistency and survived a rubber set thriller as he defeated Faiz Rozain 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-10.
In the afternoon fixture, heavyweights Butterworth BC and Seremban City BC put on a spectacular show which kept everyone at the venue holding their breaths.
However, the team from the north got off to a poor start as Tan Yi Han – Goh Jin Wei lost to Tan Kok Xian – Gan Jing Err (5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 10-11, 10-11) in the mixed doubles.
Samuel Lee, who recently competed in the Bangladesh International Challenge 2021 as an independent player, was delighted with his performance. However, he remained humble and said, “I’m happy that I was able to contribute positively for my team’s victory today. This tournament is quite competitive, and it will be foolish to underestimate anyone.”
Samuel Lee commended the organizers of the Top Glove Purple League Pro-Am 2021 (TGPLPA) for creating a competitive platform for the players. “I am grateful that Butterworth BC trusted me and to compete along with such a reputable team.”
On the other side of the court, DSBC Labuan comfortably put away Bangi City BC (12-6). Both teams will exit the tournament as they finished fourth and fifth respectively in Group A.
Despite losing to Seremban City BC in the final match today, Butterworth BC will make a reckoning with Ampang Jaya BC on Saturday to grab a ticket to the finals as they had earned sufficient points.
Serdang BC on the other hand will face heavyweights Bandar Maharani BC in a decisive match for a spot in the finals.
The TGPLPA will continue until this Sunday at the Kompleks Kejiranan Presint 11 in Putrajaya. The 10 teams will compete in a single round-robin format in their respective groups and the top 2 teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. The semi-finals and finals will take place on Saturday, 25 December and Sunday, 26 December respectively.
