The Perak Bison emerged as champions of the Sepak Takraw League (STL) 2019 Premier Division after beating Penang Black Panthers 2-0 at Stadium Indera Mulia, Ipoh, on Sunday.

Playing in front of 2,000 fans, the home trio of tekong Meor Zulfikar Mat Amin, Amirul Ramadhan Fazillah and Asraaf Abd Hadi won 21-17, 21-9 against Penang's Said Ezwan Said, Azlan Alias and Zulhusni Basri.



Head coach Ismi Hissan Ismail said he was happy with the win as they had put in almost four months of solid preparation for the championship.

"Some said we won because of imported tekong Natthawut Naeprom, but to me, the victory was due to the 100 per cent commitment shown by all the players throughout the championship," he told reporters after the match.

As the champions, Perak Bison walked away with the trophy and RM50,000 cash prize.

The ATM Guardians finished second to collect RM30,000, while team manager Mej Tajul Hisyam Mamat and coach Aswadi Abdullah were named the best manager and the best coach respectively.

The Johor Tigris finished third, followed by the Black Panthers at fourth.

In another match, the Negeri Sembilan Antlers beat the Kuala Lumpur Thunders 11-21, 21-18, 21-12.



The top five teams in the Premier Division - Perak Bisons, ATM Guardians, Johor Tigris, Penang Black Panthers and Kelantan Warriors - will play in the STL Champions Cup at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studio, Johor from December 22 to 28.

Invitational teams from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, China and the Philippines will also play in the tournament.