16th Church Anniversary Cup

July 13, 2008

Praise the Lord! The basketball competition this year which took place at the Wai Tsuen Sports Centre was a successful and joyful one. Crowds of brothers and sisters and friends in different colours, representing different sub-districts, gathered in excitement for the occasion.

We started off by a great play between the SD3 and SD1+2 male teams, which quickly raised the temperature! After an engaging match which warmed up the crowd, the SD3 youth out-played the strong men from Family and International group. Then another 10 strong guys from SD5 and SD7 quickly came on for the second preliminary round. It was an exciting and breath-holding match! Both teams played fantastically! The climax came when extra time was needed to break the 20-20 tie. A few seconds later, SD5 scored a 2-pointer! While the crowd was just getting over the excitement, and with seconds left to the match, a shot was suddenly taken by SD7 from behind the 3-point line. It held everyone’s breath, and the crowd erupted when the ball passed slickly through the ring. The match ended with a final score of 23-22. SD7 secured its place for the champion fight!

While the brothers were taking a rest, sisters were all ready for some basketball! Philippines sisters from SD6 and girls from SD5 were on first. Sister Jojo is herself again after delivering her baby! She played very well indeed and helped score enough for SD5 to win! Then the university girls from SD3 were all set to take on the Thai sisters from SD4! The game was heated! The cheering teams for both sides cheered and screamed throughout the match. SD3 managed to defend their 4-2 lead and to challenge SD5 to the final round!

The guys were then back on for the third fight between SD1+2 and SD5. Pastor Gavin and Brother Yong were quite the focus of the match! Praise God for them! Another highlight was a beautiful 3/4-court pass towards the end of the match by SD5 to a brother from the weak-hearing group, which then scored! SD5 secured 3rd place!

Next, we had the female finals! The Philippines and Thai sisters fought a hard third fight! After a 14-minute hot battle, the Thai Sisters(SD 4) won! After that, the champion fight between the SD5 and SD3 girls started with some confusion as both sides were aiming for the same basket! But the match quickly regained pace and Sister Jojo scored 4 points for SD5 before half time. After a lot of unlucky attack attempts by SD3, the girls managed to pull the score closer to a 4-2 with a fast attack. But SD5 defended very well indeed and the score remained until the whistle was blown.SD5 was champion for the female matches! Praise God for our lovely and sporty sisters! Sisterhood spirit was seen in every team. There was great teamwork and effort in all of them.

After the female matches, the guys from SD3 and SD7 gave the audience the most exciting match of the day – the male champion fight. Although some brothers and sisters had to leave as we have run well over-time, the cheers and shouts and screams from the cheering teams continued to create an atmosphere of excitement. Both teams fought their best, showing great teamwork and sportsmanship. After 30 breath-holding and heart-pounding minutes, with a closing score of 24-17, SD3 emerged as the overall champion!

Thank God for the great day, marking the beginning of our 16th Anniversary celebration. A big round applause should also be given to the great players and the crowd of cheering teams! The joyful day would not have been possible without them. The players’ fantastic performance kept stirring the crowd, and every single shot would trigger screams and applauses. The cheering team of every sub-district has their own style. For example, the young brothers and sisters from the youth group were holding banners and chanting cheers and slogans, while the Thai sisters kept dancing and singing with drums and tambourines throughout the entire event. Praise the Lord for the willing heart of our brothers and sisters, and also our unity.

Moreover, through this wonderful event, we have become closer with our friends. Thank God that we can have fun as we continue to build His kingdom!