Brunei is hoping to get back to its winning ways as it prepares to fight for gold in the Veteran's Category of the upcoming 2010 Borneo Cup basketball tournament.

Hosted by the Sultanate, the tournament will be contested at the Brunei Basketball Association court in Batu Bersurat from August 13 - 15.

The three-day competition will feature three categories - Men's Open, Men's Veteran (40 years old and above) and Women's Open - and Brunei will feature in all of them.

In its 11th edition this year, Brunei has won the trophy six times in the veteran's category but fell short last year, settling for silver while hosts Miri won gold.

Coached by Lim Fung, the roster of veteran cagers will see a cast of familiar faces including Soon Ching Long, Lim Eng Ahn, Rosli Said, Ho Poh San, Goh Kok An, Chen Fen Mei, Khoo Eng Chong, Adam Albert Chu, Tony Tan, Lim Chin Teck, Woo Min Kong, Chan Chig Yen and Goh Hock Lai.

"We have played together for some time already so the jelling is there. I believe that we should have a 50-50 chance of winning this year," Soon told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"However, we haven't had much time to prepare for the tournament but we'll put up our best effort in hopes of winning. It won't be easy though, knowing the level of competition from the other teams," he said.

"We have added two players Tony and Chan into the team as well, as they have just turned 40 this year. They are very good additions for the team especially since we usually play together," added the 49-year-old.

The forward also pointed out that it was good to possess home court advantage but also acknowledged that they do not know what to expect from their opponents.

"We don't know if they have added any new players into their squad but I'm sure they have improved their team this year," said Soon.

When asked about the stamina of the team, Soon replied: "It shouldn't be a problem despite most of the players being in their 50s already and some of them have competed in some of the recently held competitions."

The veteran national team have also enrolled themselves for the Sultan's Cup which starts this Saturday for sparring purposes and will be playing under the banner of Le Apple Bakery.

The Brunei Times