SINGAPORE - The Republic won the AirAsia Women's Junior Asian Hockey Federation Cup on Sunday (Sept 15), following a 0-0 draw with Hong Kong at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium.

This is the first time that any Singapore hockey team have won a continental trophy at all levels.

The Singaporeans had already secured the title before that match, having won all their four matches earlier in the six-team tournament. The other participating teams are Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

With their win, the Republic will take part in the Junior Asia Cup in Japan in April 2020, which is a qualifier for the Hockey Junior World Cup 2021.

Singapore coach David Viner said: "It was important for the young girls to have an event like this to participate in, and to be able to play against teams from across the continent.

"The tournament allowed the team to get together, and to give us an opportunity to gauge where they stand compared to some of their regional counterparts."

Singapore Hockey Federation president Mathavan Devadas added that the win was significant because it provided the federation with an opportunity to take stock of its development programmes.

He said: "This is surely the result of focusing a lot on our development programmes and helping to keep the athletes together.

"What's more, our young players also need to play at a higher level with among the best teams in Asia which will help them develop a lot more."