She had been set to feature in the deciding tie - if it came to that - but Hwa Chong Institution won 3-1.

There was a sense of deja vu for the 18-year-old yesterday during a repeat of last year's final clash, after the defending champions took a 2-1 lead.

But RI(JC)'s doubles pairing of Lee Wen Yi and Goh Wan Xiu ensured the match went down to the wire, after beating Wang Xun and Evelyn Koh 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9.

With the score at 2-2, Janice was called upon.

Before a 700-strong crowd at the Yishun Sports Hall, the vice-captain delivered.

She defeated Liauw Wan Ling 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.

'This feels so good,' she said after the three-hour final.

'I really wanted to be able to play today and I got to, thanks to all my teammates who fought so hard in all their matches.'

With the win, RI(JC) regained the Challenge Trophy they held from 2003 to 2007, when they were known as Raffles Junior College.

It also completed an A Division double for the Rafflesians, as the boys' team celebrated their capturing of a fourth consecutive title after defeating HCI 3-2 earlier yesterday.

They had turned the tables on their arch-rivals after HCI prevailed by a similar score during the quarter-final round-robin stage.

Despite HCI's heartache, both their teams went out with heads held high.

Han Yushi, who lost 11-6, 3-11, 8-11, 8-11 in the opening tie of the girls' final to Qian Jialei, said: 'Although the outcome was not what we desired, everyone knows we all tried our best.'

The 18-year-old added: 'Everyone is proud of each other. No one shoulders any blame.'

In the B Girls' final, Cedar Girls' beat Raffles Girls' 3-1 to recapture the title they last won in 2001.

Maris Stella High School retained their B Boys' crown with a 3-2 win over Chung Cheng High School (Main).