Victoria win C Division boys’ football title, Meridian retain girls’ championship, thanks to five-goal heroine
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Victoria School's Bavesh Kumar is given a cold celebration from his teammates after the C Division boys football final.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
SINGAPORE – An impromptu cold shower was part of Bavesh Kumar’s reward after he scored the match-winner in Friday’s National School Games (NSG) C Division boys’ football final.
The 13-year-old right-winger had scored from a free kick just before half-time, and it proved to be the only goal of the game as Victoria School beat Singapore Sports School 1-0 at the National Stadium.
“I think we showed a lot of determination and we were very willing to win, our coach said, it’s not about how good you are, it’s how good you want to be,” said Bavesh, minutes after the trophy presentation and gold medal in his hand.
He barely got many words into the interview before his teammates rushed over and emptied their water bottles over his head.
Victoria’s delight was understandable. They were crowned East Zone champions in 2022 – there was no national championships for the boys because of Covid-19 – and were C Division champions in 2019.
The NSG were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Victoria captain Ian Iskandar was proud of the way his teammates rose to the occasion. He said: “We really showed that we worked hard on the training ground to achieve this result.
“I think we had a lot of nerves because it’s the first time we played at the National Stadium, so once the dust settled down, we could play our game.”
The earlier girls’ final at the same venue was a one-sided affair. Meridian Secondary thrashed Queensway Secondary 6-0 in a rematch of the 2022 final, which ended 6-3 in Meridian’s favour.
Meridian Secondary School C Division football captain Liyana Indah Rickit taking a shot on goal during the NSG football C Division finals at National Stadium on August 11, 2023.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
Liyana Indah Rickit, who scored twice in the 2022 victory, managed five this time. In total, she scored 22 of Meridian’s 75 goals this campaign.
She credited coach Fabio da Silva’s pre-match speech for the win, saying: “He said to give it our all and to leave this pitch with no regret; just do our best and show our hunger.”
She said her third goal, a mazy run past five players before a curled effort into the top corner, was her favourite of the final.
She added: “There was pressure but my coach told me that to take it in a positive way. So when it got better I felt more happy.”
Da Silva said it took some time for his girls to get into the match, adding: “But after we scored the first or second goal, we were more comfortable in the game and we can play our football.”
