Alif Ayden turns hero to help Raffles Institution edge out St Andrew’s 4-3 in B Division hockey final

SINGAPORE – The Raffles Institution boys’ hockey team were left shell-shocked during the fourth period of their B Division final when they squandered a three-goal lead to St Andrew’s Secondary School on April 17.

But just like he did in the C Division final in 2023 – when they beat Seng Kang Secondary 2-1 – left-winger Alif Ayden Aidil Sharil popped up to score the winner as Raffles edged out the Saints 4-3 at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to score two goals in the final,” said the 14-year-old.

“Two years ago, I scored the winning goal, but to do it again is even more special.

“It’s a feeling I can’t describe with words. It’s very, very special to me. When I looked at the scoreboard and when the time hit zero, I was jumping for joy. I feel really grateful to have a good team to back me up.”

Raffles coach Ahmad Bakri attributed the win to the strong mentality of his players.

He said: “Very exciting game. I think in the last two quarters, we did not play well because of fitness, but we bounced back in the last five minutes and managed to see out the game.”

His boys flew out of the blocks, opening the scoring after just four minutes in the final that was initially scheduled for a day early but was called off due to a lightning warning.

Ryan Vir Singh dispossessed Saints defender Adam Tan just outside the area and calmly slotted it past goalkeeper Adithya Mahesh.

RI doubled their lead just a minute later, after a mix-up in the area saw Alif’s shot ending up in the net through a sea of legs.

When Mashal Iman Norzaidi notched a third in the opening seconds of the second period, RI looked to be heading for a rout.

But a revitalised Saints team came storming out of the break and cut the deficit four minutes into the third period, when Adam made up for his earlier mistake by firing into the top corner.

Aasif Akhtar Faizal added another goal two minutes later from a penalty corner, before netting the equaliser two minutes into the fourth period to send their supporters into a frenzy.

With Saints in the ascendancy, it was Alif who had the last laugh as he made no mistake from a counter-attack in the 51st minute, much to the delight of the RI fans, who were outnumbered three to one by their rivals.

Despite suffering another heartbreak, Saints captain Scott Low – he was also on the losing side in the 2024 final against Victoria School – still found positives from his team’s performance.

The 15-year-old, who wore a protective mask after breaking his nose in the quarter-final against Victoria in March, said: “Both teams played with such good courage, we were 3-0 down and came back to 3-3. Kudos to Raffles, they played amazing.

“I think we were also a bit unlucky, but these things happen. These boys will come back stronger, and we’re gonna get it next year.”

St Andrew’s coach Paramjit Singh said: “That was a good game, they (Raffles) went for an early attack, and like kamikaze (style), scored two goals.

“We then let in a third, which was soft.

“I think, mentally we were very strong, (I told them) it’s not the end of the world, let’s keep going.

“But in the end, they (RI) had one opportunity and they took it, so that was the difference.”

Seng Kang finished third after beating a combined team comprising players from Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and Queensway Secondary 2-1 in the play-off on April 16 at the same venue.