• 
• 

Published on October 14, 2007

The hosts, who finished runners-up at the previous edition in Singapore two years ago, are in a period of transition with newcomers making up half the team.

Even though they may not be as strong as before, the home side have set their sights on winning the biennial event, which serves as a rehearsal for the SEA Games, which will be held in Nakhon Ratchasima in December.

Five countries - defending champions Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand - contest this time, with only Vietnam absent due to financial constraints, thus depriving the organisers of what would have been the entire field for the SEA Games.

The teams will play each other in the round-robin stage, with the top four making the semi-finals.

Thailand open up against Singapore today, in a game that Vicharn Charoentham,  assistant coach, believes should not be too big a problem as the reigning champs are undergoing a rebuilding.

Kitinan Sanguansak

 The Nation

PHUKET