Ng Lai Wo Memorial (NLWM) PM Primary School found itself looking in the mirror.
When the boys took the court for the finals of the Tai Po Inter-school Primary Volleyball Contest, they were staring at the NLWM AM Primary School.
The school faced itself, after blowing past 11 other boys' schools.
What followed wasn't typical primary volleyball. The students appeared to have a fluency in bumping, setting and spiking that could only come from hours of practice, discipline and hard work.
'We always put our effort towards playing volleyball,' said Ng Kwok-cheong, a volleyball coach at NLWM. 'Our trainer [Lau Shuk-hing] is very good. The children practice a lot and we get good results.'
Good may be an understatement. In fact, over the past 10 years, NLWM has taken at least first or second in the boys and girls categories at the inter-school contest, establishing itself as a volleyball powerhouse in the New Territories.