By reader Yang Yue Heng of Tanjong Katong Primary School

tkps netball

TK’s GA tries to make a pass to her GS. (Photo 1 courtesy of Yang Yue Heng)

Selangor, Saturday and Sunday, May 26, 27, 2007 – The Cross Straits Tournament 2007 was held at Pusat Rakan Muda Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia. This tournament is organized for Singapore’s and Malaysia’s Primary Schools’ netball teams to compete against one other. There were 20 Malaysia schools and 8 Singapore schools who participated this year.

The Singapore teams are Tanjong Katong Primary School, St. Margaret’s Primary School, Evergreen Primary School, CHIJ OLGC Primary School, Hougang Primary School, CHIJ OLN Primary School, Greenridge Primary School and Pasir Ris Primary School.

The event started in 2005 as a friendly match between Singapore and Malaysia. Now, it has progressed to a tournament comprising 28 teams. That is really a great improvement in just two years.

Day One, Saturday, 26 May – Preliminary Rounds

All the four teams from Tanjong Katong Primary School (TK THUNDERBIRDS, TK FIREBIRDS, TK SWIFT and TK PHOENIX) had gone past the preliminary stage. They had played some exhilarating matches with Malaysian schools as well as other Singaporean schools. In fact, all the teams from Singapore did quite well on the first day of the tournament. One of the most exciting matches was played by TK SWIFT. Initially trailing by three points, the girls did not give up and instead showed perseverance by fighting back and eventually winning the match. We were really looking forward to watching the quarterfinals, semifinals and final!

tkps netball

TK’s GS takes a shot over the defending GK. (Photo 2 courtesy of Yang Yue Heng)

Day Two, Sunday, 27 May – Quarterfinals

With high spirits, all our Junior teams in Tanjong Katong Primary School played the quarterfinals. Once again, the Singaporean schools edged out some of the Malaysian schools.  As we progressed through the stages, the opponents we faced were also stronger. However, we had the confidence to win as we wanted to show the Malaysian schools how good we are.  Faith is essential to making any great achievement.

TK PHOENIX proceeded into the quarterfinal rounds with ease. This time, they played against stronger Malaysian teams such as SK Methodist, as well as Singaporean schools like St. Margaret’s stronger team. Although we lost to St. Margaret’s, we beat the other teams and ended up second in our group. As a result, both St. Margaret’s and TK PHOENIX progressed to the semifinal. We had been trounced by St. Margaret’s 16-5 earlier in the quarterfinal, so we were hoping to meet them again in the final.

Day Two, Sunday, 27 May – Semifinals

TK FIREBIRDS played against Singapore’s Evergreen Primary School in the semifinal. The latter had been surprised by TK FIREBIRDS’ strong mentality and high spirits. It was an exciting match, and TK FIREBIRDS eventually beat Evergreen 15-5, progressing into the Cup final as a result. Finally, one of the teams from Tanjong Katong Primary School had won a berth in the Cup final.  We were just one more game away from the Championship.

Unfortunately, the other Tanjong Katong team in the semifinals, TK PHOENIX, failed to qualify for the Cup final when they lost 4-9 to MSS Selangor.  TK PHOENIX were a much better team than MSS Selangor. However, they did not deliver their best performance due to their weaker mentality. MSS Selangor really taught them a good lesson. Most of the girls from TK PHOENIX were sobbing uncontrollably after the loss. They would eventually play against another Tanjong Katong team, TK SWIFT, in the Plate final. Nevertheless, they still have the National  Primary Division Tournament in Singapore. We hope the girls will emerge from the court with no regret after every match. A champion gets up even after she fails.

tkps netball

TK’s GA takes a shot. (Photo 3 courtesy of Yang Yue Heng)

Day Two, Sunday, 27 May – Cup Final

The final was played between TK FIREBIRDS and St. Margaret’s, who have always been our strongest rival and also our dearest friends. Surprisingly, TK FIREBIRDS beat St. Margaret’s 12-9. It was the first time that Tanjong Katong Primary had beaten St. Margaret’s. The girls in TK FIREBIRDS showed all their spirits and true abilities throughout the match. They gave their very best with no doubt amongst themselves. All of us were impressed by the girls’ performance. After all, it had turned out to be a friendly match between the two Singaporean schools.

Congratulations to the girls and all the best for the National Tournament in Singapore!

tkps netball

The girls of Tanjong Katong Primary School pose for a group shot. (Photo 4 courtesy of Yang Yue Heng)

Editor’s note:  If you do recognize yourselves or any of your friends in these pictures, do drop us a note in the "Comments" section!  We’ll update the captions accordingly.  Thanks!