A first-half bullet-header from man-of-the-match Keith Robertson clinched the 2004 Jing Ying football title for West Island School at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday.
La Salle College were unable to cope with the relentless energy of the 16-year-old midfield dynamo, who must be a candidate to win this year's Co-ed School Sportsboy of the Year award.
It was sweet revenge for the English Schools Foundation institution, who had lost on penalties to the same opponents in the Hong Kong and Kowloon district title match in December.
The single-goal scoreline gives little indication of just how much West Island dominated the match. The La Salle defence led a charmed life, as West Island hit the crossbar an amazing six times.
But La Salle did manage to stir up some anxiety among the watching West Island coaches and around 200 fans near the end of the contest.
Midfielder Lo Fai's long throw-ins into the penalty box were a threat, but the West Island defence, marshalled superbly by captain Lee McAuliffe, remained solid.
'There were a few heart-stopping moments there,' said coach Richard Lant. 'It was an exciting game. We kept creating chances but couldn't get that second goal. But we stayed organised, and in the end, we deserved to win.'
