TEENAGER Jackie Lee Chun-kit showed he has the quality to turn professional when he played a pivotal role in helping Hong Kong achieve their best-ever result at the Squash World Team Championships.
Hong Kong finished 14th out of 32 teams in Egypt - four positions higher than their previous best placing four years ago in the growing event when there were only 21 countries taking part.
Seasoned circuit professional Faheem Khan won all his six matches for Hong Kong, but it was young Jackie who shone with victories over experienced rivals such as Singapore's Anthony Chua.
The La Salle College sixth-former was called upon to play the deciding rubber in Hong Kong's three preliminary round matches against Switzerland, Singapore and Spain - and he came out trumps every time.
He defeated Switzerland's Low Harves 9-3, 10-8, 2-9, 9-7, stopped Chua 7-9, 9-5, 5-9, 9-3, 9-1 and downed Spaniard Victor Montserrat 9-5, 9-3, 9-10, 9-1.
His remarkable results and Khan's similar unbeaten record gave Hong Kong three wins out of three matches in their preliminary pool and earned a place in the play-off for ninth to 16th positions.
The three tough matches, however, took its toll on 19-year-old Jackie and he was rested in Hong Kong's first play-off match which eighth-seeded Germany won 2-1.
