Malaysian Arowanas had 11 players from BJSS and four from BPSS. The two-round league had seven teams, including Malaysian Arowanas, in the fray.
Warm up: The players going through a stretching exercise.
Malaysian Arowanas won all their 12 matches in the preliminary round. As the top team in the league, Malaysian Arowanas qualified for the final against Mighty Mannas, who had several national players on their side.Malaysian Arowanas put up a gallant performance, with lanky Norashikin Kamal Zaman playing an inspiring role. They defeated Mighty Mannas 49-44 to win the challenge trophy as well as S$10,000 (RM25,000).
Norashikin was voted the Most Valuable Player while coach Choo Kon Lee was named the Most Valuable Coach. Both Norashikin and Kon Lee received S$500 (RM1,250) each.
Part of the prize money will be given to the players as an incentive while the remaining amount will be saved for participation in other competitions.
Kon Lee said the final was a close affair and the Malaysians were at their best to match their counterparts.
“Mighty Mannas had several national players on their side. They had lost to us in the league and were gunning for revenge in the final. But our players kept their cool and played exceptionally well,” said Kon Lee.
Proud players: The players, with their medals, admiring the Challenge Trophy held by coach Choo Kon Lee.
The BJSS’ next competition will be the International Schoolgirls Challenge in Adelaide, Australia from May 21 to 29. The challenge, for Under-18, will have six teams — National Schools Australia, National Schools New Zealand, Maoris, Pacific Island Schools, Indigenous and BJSS.Kon Lee said the competition was an excellent platform for the Malaysian players to gain exposure.
“It is expected to be very competitive and we hope our players will return richer in experience. We will not delve into the subject of becoming champions. We prefer the players to give their best in the competition,’’ said Kon Lee.
The players (Singapore Super Netball League): Nurul Adha Abu Bakar, Nur Syafazliyana Mohd Ali, Izyan Syazana Mohd Wazir, Siti Nor Farhana Mustaffa, Yang Farha Farhani Fadzarahman, Nurul Husna Akbal Amad, Norashikin Kamal Zaman, Noramirah Dayana Noor Azhar, S. Shandralekha, Norfarahana Nawi, Nur Shamilia Md Samsudin, Noor Atikah Mat Salleh, Noor Atika Md Radzi, Fazira Mesnan, Siti Saripah Maizun Suhaimi.
The players (International Schoolgirls Challenge): Nurul Adha Abu Bakar, Nur Syafazliyana Mohd Ali, Izyan Syazana Mohd Wazir, Siti Nor Farhana Mustaffa, Yang Farha Farhani Fadzarahman, S. Shandralekha, Nurul Husna Akbal Amad, Norashikin Kamal Zaman, Noramirah Dayana Noor Azhar, Norfarahana Nawi, Nur Shamilia Md Samsudin,Nurasrinah Adnan, Alia Najwa Mohd Sazali, Pow Mei Foong, Siti Nabilah Mohd Idrus.
