Valley show superiority in battle of the heavyweights

Having paid respects to the souls of departed friends, Hong Kong Football Club came out determined to do their stuff and try to win in memory of the Bali victims. But Asahi Valley had other ideas as they ran out easy winners in the first meeting of the arch-rivals this season.

Valley defeated DHL Club 26-17 to stake their claim to the First Division League title in no uncertain terms.

The senior Club outfit, playing for the first time since the Bali bomb claimed the lives of members of social side Club Vandals a fortnight ago, took the long route out on to the pitch yesterday, emerging from a door near the Sportsman's Bar. They had paid a silent tribute to lost friends at the shrine set up at the club.

'We paid respects to the guys lost in Bali,' said No 8 Paul Dingley. Both teams then lined up for a one-minute silence before the game started. It was the calm before the storm.

For hardly three minutes had gone by before Dingley got the expected hot reception from his former teammates. His introduction to Semi Iafeta, who has taken over his position at the back of the scrum for Valley, was more like a wrestling bout. And it was not the type which is stage-managed as both players stuck into each other like two bulldogs fighting over their favourite bone.

'I wanted to make my presence felt immediately,' said Iafeta afterwards. 'We had to tell Club that we came here to play rugby and not for anything else. But I respect Paul Dingley. He is an outstanding player and he led from the front.'