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SEA Games: First golds to Singapore as Malaysian spitter banned

Singapore's Lin Ye in action at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland

Singapore's formidable table tennis line-up claimed the SEA Games' first gold medals on Tuesday as a star Malaysian footballer's tournament was ended over a spitting row. Lin Ye and Zhou Yihan covered themselves in glory when they upset higher-ranked compatriots Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu to win the women's doubles and become the Games' first champions. Lin and Zhou, aged 19 and 21 respectively, edged a nail-biter 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 12-10, 3-11, 10-12, 11-7 in front of enthusiastic fans at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Gao Hing and Li Hu then demolished Thailand's Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Chanakarn Udomsilp 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 11-4 to make it a clean sweep for the hosts so far. Singapore will be favourites to finish top of the medals table at the biennial, 11-nation Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which formally opens with a gala ceremony on Friday. But playmaker Nazmi Faiz became the multi-sport event's first villain when he was banned for six games for spitting, according to Malaysia's football association. The sanction means highly rated Nazmi, 20, will play no further part after he was sent off for spitting at East Timor's Filipe Oliveira in Malaysia's 1-0 win on Saturday. "I really regret what happened," Nazmi said in a posting on the Twitter feed of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia. "There are no excuses and I accept my punishment. I would like to apologise to all Malaysians. I didn't mean to let the country down." The same game was already at the centre of controversy after East Timor's team manager was detained and charged with match-fixing, earning a provisional ban from football. The unique, two-week SEA Games features Olympic sports alongside regional favourites like martial art pencak silat and sepaktakraw, a volleyball-style game played with the feet.