The Penang Black Panthers suffered their second consecutive 2018 Sepak Takraw League (STL) Premier defeat on Friday.

The defending champions, who lost only twice last season, were downed by the Kuala Lumpur Thunder in three sets.

They took the first set 21-17 but conceded the other two sets 15-21, 16-21, with tekong star Syahir Rosdi uncharacteristically having a poor game and committing 11 errors.



The ATM Guardians, who beat the Black Panthers on Sunday, benefitted from the defeat as they extended their lead to four points at the top with a 2-0 win over a spirited Melaka Titans side, who put up a strong performance despite their recent poor form.

The league leaders had to dig deep to clinch a 21-19, 21-16 win.



However, as closely contested as the Guardians-Titans game was, it was nowhere near the Selangor Pistons' 2-0 victory against the Kelantan Warriors.

Both teams put on a treat for spectators at the Gem In Mall, Cyberjaya, with a thrilling 21-19, 22-20 game.

Selangor walked away with the win thanks to striker Norshahrudin Ghani, who was on fire as he netted 34 points alone.



The win allowed the Pistons to move level on points (four) with the Perak Bison, who were defeated by the Johor Tigris in three sets.

Despite losing the first set 17-21, the Bison Bison managed to bounce back in the second set 21-16 and looked likely to win the match as they opened the rubber set with a 5-1 lead.

However, poor defending against strikes from Noraizat Nordin, who contributed 13 points, saw them lose 31-21 and suffer their third defeat in five matches.