it was by chance i came across this piece of writing by an ex-Malaysian player, Oon Chong Teik. Dr. Oon was born in Malaya (Malaysia) and studied medicine in the UK. he played international badminton in the late-50's and 60's. he wrote down this memoir on his badminton experience. i found this a very interesting reading and also extremely educational. he dealt with his own game, his experience with his uncle and coach Wong Peng Soon, his experience with the IBF, as well as his latter experience in Singapore. this is a great read for any badminton fans interested in the badminton scene back in those early days. highly recommended. http://www.viweb.freehosting.net/OonCT.htm
wow, that's long!!! I won't have time to read this now but this definately seems very interesting to read!
yes. long. i sat here and spend my early morning reading it coz it is so interesting! he played in the Thomas Cup for Malaya (Malaysia?). he as a doctor also treated this badminton player who worked in Singapore who used to play for China and had to shorten his career due to pneumonia (can you guess who? ). and also confirms what viver said about how this player never fully recovered from it.
Maybe a Malaysian could give more precisions, but as far as I know Malaya is not the same geographical country as Malaysia, only a part of it. Malaysia was created later (after independance?).
Just found the information : Malaysia gained independance in 1957. From what I understand, Malaya is the continental part of current Malaysia.
Malaya is the old name for Malaysia, just as: Bombay = Mumbai Saigon = Ho Chi Minh City Ceylon = Sri Lanka After gaining independence, these cities decided to give their own name instead of one given by their British (and other) colonizers. Malaysia consists of a peninsula stretching south from Thailand, and half the island of Borneo, maybe 600 km away over the South China Seas to the east. I had a very cute Geography teacher in high school. -dave
OK here goes, Malaysia = Peninsular Malaysia (connected to 'Mainland') + Sabah & Sarawak which are located on the northern and western parts of the island of Borneo respectively. Pre formation of Malaysia, these areas were known as : Peninsular Malaysia = a group of states generally identified as 'Malaya'. Sabah = Northen Borneo Sarawak = Sarawak . Used to be part of Brunei till James Brooke came. Non hostile possesion. Cheers The Borneon BaddyNut
an excellent find kwun. I've gain some more knowledge about badminton history. I find the section on his canadian tour very interesting. It had connected some dots that were spaces in my head before Surprise he still remember the correct spelling of Channarong Ratanasaengsuang LOL. Yes channaroung is household name at glencoe. Not only good account on badminton history, lotta good tips about life in general as well
indeed. there are very interesting information in every paragraph. it was valuable especially since they are first hand accounts. his stories on how he take a boat or cargo plane from England to Europe just to play a weekend tournament is amazing. and also how hard he works towards his medicine degree and play (and win) professional badminton at the same time is also very amazing.
i sent a email to Dr. Oon telling him how much i enjoyed reading his memoir. let's see if he responds...
A very good read. Took me quite a while to do so tho. - Inspiring - Factual - Lots of really good advice as well I feel much better after reading this. As though some one has some lights in the road ahead. Cheers The Borneon BaddyNut
Very interesting article. Didn't realize he was a contemporary of two of my old friends, Ong Eng Hong and Lim Say Hup. Also the Dunlop Maxply was truly the racquet of the day then. He mentioned about the Silver Gray racquet in the article on Peng Soon's AE showdown with Eddy Choong, which I happened also to own one but it was a Silver Gray with Wong Peng Soon's signature. Oon Chong Teik also wrote about Earland Kops visiting China and getting beaten very badly by the "Thing" and Hou. What we see in today's Chinese singles players is a carbon-copy of the "Thing" and Hou. So for those who have never seen the real "Thing" play, you can see his style of play today from Lin Dan to Chen Hong, etc. But players of Wong Peng Soon's style of play do not exist today. How sad.
Oon Chong Teik did not play in the Thomas Cup. He and his long time teen rival Ong Eng Hong were chosen for training and selection for Malaysia's (at that time Malaya) 1958 defence of the Thomas Cup. Unfortunately, Oon Chong Teik was not selected for the final lineup. There was at that time rumours that the Penang influence blocked his selection, which is a real pity. What he said about Eddy Choong living a wild life was common knowledge even at that time.
Wow, really long article Kwun. Did not finish it but so far a very good read, thanks for putting the link here. About the referenced player, it was too bad as this was, according to the coaches the main reason for his inconsistent results in tournaments. The coaches then did not even force him to go through all the daily training routines.
None, perhaps the now retired Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen and the even older Finn Kobberro came close, but still not quite.
Sorry Taneepak, neither Lin Dan nor Chen Hong reminds me of Tang Xinhu or Hou Jiachang. A player closer to Tang style of movements around the court, in my opinion could be Yang Yang, but Tang's movements are more dynamic and powerful. The 'beauty' of Tang Xinfu move can't be seen in any current Chinese player, IMHO. I don't remember Hou Jiachang as a powerful player but rather a very fast and intelligent player. His defence is like a wall, rock solid, always inviting his opponents to attack and his counter attacks are fast, well placed and lethal. I can't really see a player that moves like him nowadays, maybe Lee Choong Wei. Saw Hou Jiachang playing and practicing once very closely with his brother. By the way, his younger brother was my first badminton coach.