Becoming a champion is no easy task, and so it proved for the winners of the 2011-12 All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Volleyball Tournament. Wa Ying College and Yan Chai Hospital No 2 Secondary School won the boys' and girls' titles, respectively, after hard-fought finals held on New Year's Eve at Tsing Yi Sports Centre.
Yan Chai, the defending champions, took on STFA Cheng Yu Tung Secondary School who were taking part in their first-ever Jing Ying final.
This was a rematch of last year's semi-final, and the crowd thought Cheng Yu Tung would gain sweet revenge when they won the first two sets 25-23, 25-19. But it was not to be, as Yan Chai battled back to win the next three sets and the title, 25-19, 25-17, 15-11.
Yan Chai captain, To Wing-tung, said she was exhausted after the match, which lasted almost two and a half hours.
'I did my very best on the day and shifted between defence and attack frequently. I don't think I am going to have a [New Year] countdown today. I will go home and sleep,' said the Form Five student. Her younger twin sister, To Wing-man, was named the most valuable player (MVP) - her second successive award in the tournament.
Wing-man was suffering from a sore throat, but it didn't affect her performance.