Under an endless drizzle on a slippery pitch, the boys from Raffles Institution (RI) retained their school’s longstanding hockey legacy after seeing off Victoria Junior College (VJC) in the A Division final, securing the school’s eighth title in the last 10 editions of the championship.
Beaten 1-3 by much-fancied Raffles Institution (RI) in the group stage, the boys from Victoria Junior College (VJC) made sure to approach the A Division floorball final against the same opponents with a renewed focus and strategy. And they executed their game plan to perfection this time round, hitting the 2018 champions twice on the counter via Ammar Harith (VJC #25) and Anas Abdullah Baeesa (VJC #87) to emerge 2-1 winners and reclaim the championship trophy their school last lifted in 2017, and its fourth since 2009.
With all still to play for in the A Division girls' floorball final against defending champions Victoria Junior College (VJC), Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) coach Jatin Nair sent out a rallying message to his charges during the second interval: "The team is only as strong as the relationships within the team." It was a recurring theme that had driven the TMJC girls throughout a short four-month run-up to the competition, and they duly delivered on court to come out 2-1 victors in the final, sealing the school's first title since the merger between Tampines and Meridian JCs.
Chasing their school's first title since 2015, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) overcame a spirited performance from underdogs National Junior College (NJC) to clinch redemption on behalf of their seniors and emerge triumphant in the 2022 A Division girls' basketball final. With 10 A girls' trophies since 2003 prior to this year but having come short at the last hurdle in two out of the last four editions of the championship from 2016 to 2019, the HCI class of 2022 made their mark and finally reclaimed the title after seven years with a 44-30 victory over a gritty NJC side, who were making their school’s first final appearance in the girls’ A Division, in the past decade at least.
National Junior College (NJC) turned around an early Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) lead and survived a late onslaught from their opponents to bag their maiden A Division boys' basketball title, in only the school's second appearance in a championship final. Led by captain and Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ray Chan (#8) with a game-high 12 points, the boys in white came out 41-33 winners against their counterparts in red to protect their 100-percent record over seven games in the competition.
With one swing of his boot, Victoria Junior College (VJC)’s Anton Yen Goh (#19) drove the ball into the bottom left corner of a gaping net, cueing thunderous roars from the Jalan Besar crowd at the first National Schools A Division boy’s football final since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. That strike 15 minutes into the first half turned out to be the first and only goal of the match, as the Victorians reclaimed the title their seniors surrendered to same opponents St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) three years ago.
When Singapore Sports School (SSP)’s Huang Weijun received the baton on the anchor in the B Division boys’ 4 by 400 metres relay final, he knew a massive winning streak was on the line for his school in the event. The B boys’ 100m-200m sprint king was up against Victoria School (VS)’s 800m champion and 400m silver medalist Subaraghav Hari who got the baton slightly earlier, and he understood the assignment. Weijun took advantage of his speed to overtake the latter within the first bend, and never relented as he brought the gold home for SSP in 3 minutes 31.47 seconds, a marginal 0.18s ahead of VS (3:31.65). Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) took the bronze in 3:35.44.
With their tag as traditional powerhouses in schools' track and field, one would think that Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) are dominant in the marquee relay events. They turned out to be, but not before erasing a few relay gold droughts in the girls' A Division and C boys' 4 by 100 metres at the 63rd National Schools Track and Field Championships.
