THE English debating teams of the Hong Kong University (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU) both came up smiling in the finals of this year's Intervarsity Debating Contest.
Speaking on the motion 'The 1996-97 Budget for Hong Kong should be prepared in consultation with the Chinese Government', both teams presented good arguments and the contest was declared a draw.
The debating contest, started in 1972, alternates each year between English and Cantonese and, to maintain spontaneity, competitors only find out an hour before the debate what the topic is.
The last time the two rivals recorded a draw in the English debate was 10 years ago, when the teams debated the motion 'By 1997 all Legislative Council members should be elected directly by the people of Hong Kong'.
'We are not disappointed. We found it very enjoyable,' said Mandy Wong Man, the captain of the HKU team.
'The pressure of impromptu matches is heavy, but I think we demonstrated a high level of co-operation throughout the contest,' she said.
The CU team was hoping to record its third consecutive victory. 'It was a bit disappointing, but we tried our best,' the CU team manager, Alice Kwok Ah-see, said.