S’pore Sports School-Outram defeat ACS(I) for National School Games B Division water polo gold

SINGAPORE – A celebratory dunk in the pool was the reward for the newly crowned B Division boys’ water polo champions and their coach on March 30, when the combined team of the Singapore Sports School (SSP) and Outram Secondary School defeated Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 11-9 in the final at Our Tampines Hub.

The scene was vastly different from the National School Games two years ago, when the same joint team were thrashed 20-7 by champions ACS(I) in the pool round, and 14-3 in the preliminary round of the C Division competition – they eventually finished third.

SSP’s Russell Yuan, who was the hero of the day with seven goals, said the team’s previous losses to ACS(I) “motivated us to get back at them”. The 15-year-old also credited his training in Australia for boosting his scoring ability.

“Being part of Sydney University Swimming Club, and also the Australian national youth development team, give me exposure to a much wider range of players that I can work with,” said the teenager, who is on a leave of absence from SSP as he is studying and training full-time in Australia.

“I often play against bigger players on the national stage, so I have to refine my one-on-one skills, especially because I’m smaller than the average player there.”

SSP coach Rio Shirahama, who is also the national men’s youth development squad head coach (water polo), noted that the team’s victory was the result of steady, consistent training and progress.

His strategy of prioritising individual skill development over team tactics also worked a treat, as the team said it allowed them to focus on defending and executing a lot of one-on-one attacks.

Shirahama said: “They did a good job. Our team is combined, so we couldn’t train together for a long time. That’s why we ask them to play more individually... focus on attacking one-on-one.

“Throughout the four years (with me), they have improved their standard a lot and focused a lot on swimming, passing, shooting.”

Such combined teams – which are also prevalent in other sports like football – allow students to participate in sports that are not offered by their schools.

In this case, both sides were shorthanded, with SSP – B Division champions in 2024 and 2025 – having only five players available for registration.

Despite the disadvantage against their rivals, the joint squad delivered a strong performance in the pool as they raced to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, before extending it to 8-3 at half-time.

While ACS(I) responded with three goals to cut the deficit to 9-6 in the third period to set up a tense finish, SSP-Outram ultimately prevailed 11-9.

The players also credited their intensive training regimen for their success. Leading up to the finals, the squad trained 10 times a week, with double sessions in the morning and evening on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

However, the partnership with Outram was not without challenges, as coordinating training schedules proved to be tricky. As a result, the two schools trained together only once a week in the three months leading up to the final.

ACS(I) captain Ashton Low, 15, said after the match: “I feel like we could have done better for sure, but my team played to the best of their abilities and persevered to the very end. Even though we were losing by a couple goals, we still tried and pushed on, as seen in the third quarter, we really did catch up quite a lot.”

Despite the loss, ACS(I) coach Luo Nan was pleased with the team’s performance. The former national player and coach said: “The team performed really well today, especially because the boys never gave up. And when we finished the second quarter, we were five goals behind, but in the third quarter, we were almost chasing back.

“Compared to the Sports School, we have less real game experience, because they are all youth team players who travel (and play) outside.”