SINGAPORE - Entering the final day of the Schools National B Division Bowling Championship on Thursday (March 9), the Singapore Sports School (SSP) girls' team led their rivals Methodist Girls' School (MGS) in the overall rankings by just one point.
The leaders held their nerve at the Temasek Club along Rifle Range Road, posting a one-two finish in the quartets event to retain the overall championship title.
There was double happiness for SSP as the boys also won the quartets event and clinched the overall title as well, dethroning defending champion Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).
Girls' captain Alena Dang, who won the singles title last Wednesday, was relieved at her team's successful title defence despite the tough competition. She said: "(This win) is an overall team effort. Everyone worked hard together and didn't focus too much about the scores; we just supported one another as team-mates."
Pascal Ching, one of the four who claimed gold in the girls' quartets event, was relieved her team-mates managed to pick themselves up after facing a "low point" during the doubles competition on Monday.
"We lost to MGS who were first and second in the doubles, while (SSP) placed third, fourth and fifth," said the 15-year-old, who finished third in doubles with partner Jean Tow.
"After that, we took it frame by frame and picked up from there."
Jean, 15, added: "We told ourselves it wasn't the end and that we should keep fighting."
Their male counterparts Xavier Teo and Nu'man Syahmi Yusri adopted the same approach, overcoming a "bad start" to win the boys' doubles event.
Said 16-year-old Xavier, who is also the boys' all-events champion: "(Syahmi and I) were in the seventh and eighth positions, before turning it around. We became less confident, but told ourselves not to let a bad game get us down and to just keep moving forward."
MGS' Chan Jing Wen and Karen Tan won the girls' doubles title while Jonathan Lum of Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) bagged the boys' singles crown, preventing a clean sweep by SSP.
Results
Boys' singles
1. Jonathan Lum, Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) - 1,265 points
2. Owen Wong, Singapore Sports School - 1,225
3. Leong Weng Hong, SSP - 1,215
Girls' singles
1. Alena Dang, SSP - 1,260
2. Georgia Kuok, Methodist Girls' School - 1,221
3. Jessica Chong, MGS - 1,211
Boys' doubles
1. Xavier Teo and Nu'man Syahmi Yusri, SSP - 2,420
2. Tan Gian Sen and Marcus Yeo, Maris Stella High School - 2,411
3. Bryen Yee and Javier Lim, SSP - 2,378
Girls' doubles
1. Chan Jing Wen and Karen Tan, MGS - 2,504
2. Georgia Kuok and Jessica Chong, MGS - 2,377
3. Jean Tow and Pascal Ching, SSP - 2,263
Boys' quartets
1. SSP (Xavier Teo, Kieran Tan, Leong Weng Hong, Nu'man Syahmi Yusri) - 4,909
2. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (Cyrus Yuen, Benjamin Ng, Kieran Goh, Cheah Ray Zen) - 4,643
3. SSP (Sean Loh, Jeremiah Khoo, Bryen Yee, Javier Lim) - 4,626
Girls' quartets
1. SSP (Kimberly Quek, Jean Tow, Fion Liew, Pascal Ching) - 4,856
2. SSP (Alena Dang, Bliss Lee, Raechel Lim, Caitlan Lim) - 4,370
3. MGS (Nicole Lee, Danika Kaur, Chan Jing Wen, Karen Tan) - 4,292
Boys' all events
1. Xavier Teo, SSP - 3,783
2. Nu'man Syahmi Yusri, SSP - 3,585
3. Leong Weng Hong, SSP - 3,576
Girls' all events
1. Karen Tan, MGS - 3,679
2. Jean Tow, SSP - 3,615
3. Pascal Ching, SSP - 3,571
Overall (boys)
1. SSP
2. ACS (Independent)
3. Maris Stella High School
4. Mayflower Secondary School
Overall (girls)
1. SSP
2. MGS
3. Raffles Girls' School
4. Tanjong Katong Girls' School
