Singapore's tchoukball teams clinch fifth South-east Asian titles
Both the Singapore men's and women's teams extended their dominance at the South-east Asian Tchoukball Championships in Bangkok yesterday.
The men's team sealed their fifth crown after winning the round-robin five-team competition by defeating Malaysia 55-43 at the Ramkhamhaeng University.
Since the inaugural tournament in 2009, they have won the title in every edition of the biennial competition, with their only loss coming in 2011.
In the women's final, Singapore triumphed 59-21 over Thailand for their fifth straight title. There was no women's competition in 2009.
Men's player Shah Rykal said the team's understanding led to their successful title defence.
"What led us to the victory is our teamwork because our players have great chemistry with each other," said the 20-year-old.
"With the great understanding between us, we stuck to the game plan and was able to execute it well."
Women's player Amy Tan, 29, pointed to their strong start for their victory over the hosts.
She said: "We made full use of our possession and were able to convert them into scores.
"When we did lose possession, we saved the opponents' shots and launched successful counter-attacks. Thus, extending our lead in the early part of the game against Thailand."
Tchoukball has been gaining in popularity. At the World Championships in August, Singapore men's and women's teams both finished third.
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