THE curtain has finally come down on the Datuk Freddie Choong Challenge Trophy, an annual inter-club veterans tennis competition in Penang.
Penang Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) patron and former president Datuk Freddie Choong has decided to stop sponsoring the tournament, which was initiated in his honour in 1992.
He is the older brother of two badminton icons - the late Datuk David and the late Datuk Eddy.
The number of entries for the tournament has slowly dwindled over the years - from more than 30 teams to just five this year.
But veteran tennis players need not fret as PLTA intend to continue hosting the tournament, albeit with some slight adjustments.
‘We may open the event to non-affiliates in order to attract more teams from within the country as well as from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei,’ said PLTA secretary Paul Lim.
‘We are also toying with the idea of awarding cash prizes as another way of attracting more teams.’
And Penang Malays Tennis Association (PMTA) Datuk Mohd Junid Mohd Noor was quick to welcome the move, saying it will help increase participation as well as give veteran players and clubs a financial boost.
PMTA, meanwhile, couldn’t have chosen a more opportune time to win the 29th and final edition of the Datuk Freddie Choong Challenge Trophy.
Having played second fiddle to Bukit Mertajam Tennis Club (BMTC) for three consecutive years (2015-2017), PMTA took a sabbatical last year to prepare for this year’s tournament.
And the move clearly paid off - with PMTA defeating BMTC 2-1 at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Tennis complex in George Town recently.
Junid attributed their victory to his players’ hard work and never-say-die attitude.