Brilliant performances by students from Hong Kong Red Swastika Society Tai Po Secondary School clinched them the Instant Dict & Lotto Soccer Skill Challenge at the Hong Kong Southern Indoor Stadium. The win was a great surprise for the team. 'Our rivals were very strong and we never thought of beating them and winning the championship,' said Wong Hin-wing, one of the players. The competition which put the school on top was a test which saw the top five teams attempt to score the most points by shooting the ball in different locations. 'Competition was fierce as the scores of the top five teams in the final competition were very close,' William Cheung Chi-fung, the coach of the team said. He said the team's determination and resilience had paid off even though they considered their success had contained an element of luck. 'They underwent intensive training to improve their ball control, dribbling and shooting skills,' Cheung added. The boys were aware that practice would be the key to their success - they trained for two hours a day and studied local football matches. The school was also the winner of the Tai Po Football League B grade competition this year and was third runner-up in the C grade competition last year. Cheungsaid the standard of football players in Inter-School Football League Competition was under threat. 'There are a variety of sports to choose from and people who are talented in football may instead drill themselves in basketball,' he said. However, all the boys said football had its own attraction. Player Ma Yiu-pin said it brought him satisfaction and was good for health. 'It's better than staying at home to play the TV games,' another soccer player, Choi Ho-kwan said.
