Three years ago, the Blaze Dolphins beat the Sneakers Stingrays 50-49 in the Netball Super League (NSL) final, scoring the winning point at the last second.
Yesterday, the Stingrays avenged that loss, as well as their winless streak against the Dolphins last season, when they beat the defending champions 46-45 in the opening NSL match this season, at Our Tampines Hub.
Both teams did not feature in the league in 2017, while Stingrays lost all three matches between the two sides last year.
Said Stingrays vice-captain Anna Soo: "We lost to Blaze previously (in 2016) by one and this time we came back with a win, so it's a good start to our season.
"We are very happy with how we came back after the third quarter. The most important thing was teamwork. There was a lot of pushing forward from our attack and encouraging our teammates."
The Stingrays raced to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter, thanks to quick attacking and sharp shooting by Wong Pei Ying and Liu Xin Yi, before the Dolphins tightened their defence, with Under-21 player and NSL debutante Yew Shu Ning making key interceptions.
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The Sneakers Stingrays overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth period to edge out the Blaze Dolphins 46-45 for their first win in five meetings.
While the Stingrays entered half-time with a 22-19 lead, the Dolphins came out blazing in the third period, outscoring their opponents 15 to nine to take the lead at 34-31.
In the final period, the Dolphins had a 40-33 lead, only to see the Stingrays find their range and outscore their opponents 13 to five, including four goals in a row at the end, to emerge 46-45 victors.
Dolphins coach Wang Jing Qing said: "We gave away a lot on our centre pass and if we had capitalised on them in the later part of the fourth quarter, we could've ended with a different result.
"We need to take care of our own passes and timing instead of worrying about what the opponents will be doing."
She also praised 20-year-old Yew, who played goal defence and goalkeeper, but said she has room for improvement. "For her first game, she did well. But we need to reposition her angle so she can provide more pressure in the circle."
It is compulsory for NSL teams to field two U-21 players every game for at least two quarters this year and Yew played the whole match.
She said: "I was quite nervous, my hands were trembling before the match but after warming up, I felt ready and told myself to focus and go for every single ball.
"I thought I did not do badly but more can be done," she said, adding that she will work on improving her stamina.
In the other matches, Swifts Barracudas beat Magic Marlins 55-46 and Mission Mannas defeated new side Llabten Narwhals 67-54.
