Terr-Afiq saves the day for the Senior Bullets

30^th Jan 2013

The Senior Bullets endured a frustrating afternoon in their 3^rd inter-schools match against Deyi Secondary this afternoon at Naval Base Secondary School’s artificial pitch. They were made to sweat for a narrow 2-1 win after having most of the possession.

Pre-match handshake

Deyi Sec scored the first goal in the 17^th min against the run of play. From a corner on the right, Deyi skipper jumped unmarked in the penalty box to head the ball toward the inside of the left goal post, leaving a bemused Bullets defence looking shell-shocked.

The goal woke up the Bullets and they began to look sharper and hungrier but all their moves in front of goal were swept away nicely by a well-organised Deyi defence. The Bullets continued to play through the middle to no avail until the 28^th minute when a clearance by Deyi fell to midfielder Muhd Akhsan who controlled the ball at the edge of the penalty box and fired a stinging shot into goal.

The 2^nd half saw the Bullets change tactics by playing more on the wings and with Karthik on the left and Afiq on the right, the Deyi defence were stretched to the limit. The Deyi defence managed to hold out magnificently and frustrated the Bullets with timely clearances and excellent anticipation of runs into the penalty box. The Bullets were also guilty of some poor finishing. For 35 mins of the 2^nd half, the ball rarely left the Deyi’s half as they consolidated in front of their goal, looking for a draw.

The Deyi resistance finally gave way 4 minutes from normal time. From a free-kick on the left, Muhd Azfar launched the ball across the penalty area and Muhd Afiq arrived just in time to nod the ball past the stranded Deyi goalkeeper. The Bullets saved their blushes for another day and earned 3 precious points which seemed, at some point, never to come.

Bowen	2-1	Deyi
Akhsan 17’ Afiq 76’
	Substitutions
	Muhd Aizan for Rafid Khan 67’

Junior Bullets make short work of Anderson Sec to win 7-2

29^th Jan 2013

The C Boys Bullets followed up their big win last week with another impressive showing this afternoon at the home of their opponents Anderson Sec. The Bullets scored seven goals to demonstrate the gap in the quality of execution between the two teams. But the way 2 goals were conceded is cause for worry ahead of the crucial clash with group favourites Serangoon Sec.

In a smaller than usual field, both teams could not make any headway in the first few minutes of the game. The Bullets were the first to find a way out of the predicament by using the full width of the pitch. Skipper for the day Muhd Danial opened the scoring in the 7^th min with a lob over the goalkeeper. 4 mins later, left-winger Josiah Phua beat his marker side-footed the ball into an empty net for a 2-goal lead. The third goal was quick to come as Anderson struggled to play out of their half. This time, striker Faris Hanan took the opportunity of a goalmouth scramble to poke the ball beyond the Anderson keeper. He then made it 4-nil in the 17^th min with a stiff volley at the edge of the penalty area that had the Anderson goalkeeper flapping for thin air. Muhd Danial then calmly placed the ball into goal for the 5^th goal after advancing from the left.

The Bullets were looking forward to half-time and the complacency was never more glaring than in the 28^th min when a free kick was needlessly conceded on the right side by Aden Kuo. From the ensuing free kick, Bullets goalkeeper Mohd Fazrin missed the ball completely and as the ball was recovered from the left-hand side, a fluffed clearance allowed an Anderson attacker to sweep the ball into goal.

The Bullets scored a brace in the second half: the first coming from Brendan Tan who reacted swiftly to tap in a shot that rebounded off the left goal post. Danial then completed his 2^nd hat trick of the tournament by bringing the ball intelligently into the Anderson’s penalty box and slotting the ball home through the legs of the goalkeeper.

Nine minutes from time, Bullets goalkeeper Fazrin made another blunder when he failed to hold on to a high ball towards goal, allowing it to bobble out of his hands and cross the goal line.

Towards the end of the match, it seemed like a routine outing for the Bullets as Bullets coach made 3 quick substitutions but the failings that led to the goals conceded will be a happy sight for our next opponent Serangoon Sec.

Anderson	2 - 7	Bowen
		Danial 7’, 18’, 46’ Josiah 11’ Faris 16’, 17’ Brendan 34’
Substitutions
Muhd Irfan for Faris Hanan (54’) Muhd Asyraf for Aloysius Lee (54’) Markus Lam for Josiah Phua (56’)

B Boys Bullets’ revival just fell short

Controversial penalty decision mars thrilling match-up

28^th Jan 2013

In a top of the table clash between Bowen Bullets and last year’s NZ 3^rd best team, Marsiling Secondary this afternoon, observers of the match were left gasping for breath after witnessing a pulsating match full of commitment and passion. Both teams set up to win but Marsiling did just enough to hold out for a 3-2 victory.

The Bullets started the match with their usual jitters, dishing out challenges that were too meek to upset the Marsiling players. Muhd Azfar came close to scoring against the run of play with a floating free-kick that rocked the crossbar. But the inevitable happened in the 8^th min as the Bullets defence failed to clear a high ball which allowed a Marsiling attacker to pounce and punt the ball into goal.

3 minutes later, right-back Muhd Arsyad had to clear a goal-bound shot off the line as the Bullets continue to allow their opponents to dictate play. The referee awarded a controversial penalty to the home side in the 14^th min after what seemed to be an excellent tackle by centre-back Hilman in the penalty box. Although he clearly poked the ball to the waiting arms of Bullets custodian Daniel Hiekel, referee judged that it was a tackle from behind. Marsiling made no mistake with the spot kick to take the first half 2-0.

It seemed a different Bullets team turned up for the 2^nd half as they played with more vigour and craft, pressuring the home side into giving the ball away. From a free-kick 30m out, Muhd Azfar tried his luck again. This time, ball was delivered inch-perfect into the top right-hand corner of the goal, giving the Marsiling goalie no chance.  

Sensing a turn of the tide, Marsiling pulled out all the stops with 2 substitutions. A 65^th min corner by Marsiling was cleared out of the penalty box but the ball fell nicely for an onrushing  Marsiling attacker to volley it home and regain their 2-goal lead.

But the Bowen boys refused to give up and just 1 min after conceding, they scored. Muhd Asyraf was put through and lobbed the ball over the Marsiling goalkeeper with the goalmouth gaping. And Muhd Afiq arrived to help the ball into an empty net.

It was game on again with a quarter of an hour left to play.  Unfortunately, the Bullets’ fighting spirit fell short as Marsiling stood firm to gain an upperhand in the fight for top place in the group.

Marsiling	3-2	Bowen
		Azfar 49’ Afiq 66’
Yellow Cards
Arsyad 15’

Riverside Secondary brushed aside by B Boys Bullets in convincing victory

25^th Jan 2013

The B Div Boys from Bowen Bullets made their intentions clear in their opening encounter with Riverside Secondary School in the NZ Inter-Schools Football Tournament by recording a morale-boosting 7-0 win over their opponents this afternoon at the Marsiling Secondary School grounds.

Under the hot afternoon sun, the Bullets began cautiously and looked tense building up their play. However, right winger Muhd Afiq settled the nerves in the 6^th min with an individual goal of considerable brilliance. He beat one defender down the sideline and ran past another into the penalty box before delivering a stiff shot beyond the reach of the nervous Riverside goalkeeper.

Bullet's fourth goal was pushed into the net by the Riverside goalkeeper

As the Bullets began to settle down, they created more chances and forced their way into the Riverside half. In the 20^th min, Muhd Asyraf did well to hassle the ball off a defender just inside the penalty box and shot confidently for the second goal. Lead striker Karthik then tapped in the third goal from an Afiq assist. Skipper Muhd Azfar’s corner in the 36^th min was then bizarrely pushed into the goal by the Riverside goalkeeper. But the first half did not end quite well for the Bullets as striker Karthik was booked for kicking the goalkeeper in a goalmouth melee.

The Bullets celebrating another goal

Riverside did not offer too much resistance in the 2^nd half as they melted under the afternoon heat.  Afiq soon helped himself to another goal after some good inter-play in midfield from the Bullets.  As Riverside were struggling to get out of their own half in the 50^th min, Asyraf lobbed the ball into an empty net in a successful  50-50 challenge against the onrushing Riverside custodian. Afiq then finished what he started by completing his hat trick in the 77^th min, firing a rising shot into the roof of the goalmouth.

Bowen	7 - 0	Riverside
Afiq 6’, 46’, 77’ Asyraf 20’, 50’ Karthik 37’ Azfar 36’
Substitutions
Muhd Aizan for Tan Ren Yu (75’)
Yellow Cards
Karthik 37’ Royce 60’

Bullets thrash North Vista for first win in 11 months

24th Jan 2013

 The Bullets warming up

Just when it seems the C Div Boys from the Bowen Bullets would never get a win, they served up a confident display of pressing football this afternoon to record the biggest win in the C Boys Bullets’ history. The 11-0 win over North Vista Secondary was also their first win in an official match since 14^th February 2012 when they overcame Hougang Sec  1-0.

Playing in their new sky blue strip, the Bullets dominated play straight from the first whistle and never lost their grip of the game. Captain Aloysius Lee opened the floodgates in the 2^nd minute of the game with a crisp right-footed shot that gave the opposing goalkeeper no chance. It was a sign of things to come as the Bullets went in for the kill. Not allowing North Vista any breathing space, Muhd Danial (11^th min), Josiah Phua (12^th min) increased the lead with well-taken goals and by half-time, the Bullets were half a dozen goals in front, thanks to 2 goals from Josiah (12^th & 22^nd min) , a successful penalty from Muhd Danial (15^th min) and a goal-bound shot from Faris Hanan (26^th min).

The Bullets applied more pressure in the 2^nd half and forced silly mistakes from the North Vista defenders in their own half. 6 mins after the match resumed, Faris powered his way through to slot in his 2^nd and Bowen 7^th goal. The only whiff of the Bullets goal the North Vista managed to force was through a free kick just outside the Bullets’ penalty box. Yet Bullets’ man between the sticks reacted admirably by catching the shot firmly in his hands.

Skipper Aloysius congratulating Faris for another goal 

The Bullets were relentless in their rout of their opponent with 3 Bowen players, Muhd Danial, Josiah and Faris completing their hat tricks. Adding to the 11-nil scoreline was a Riley Gomez tap-in goal in the 56^th min. from a corner kick.

Bowen	11 - 0	North Vista
Aloysius 2’ Muhd Danial 11’, 15’ (penalty), 58’ Josiah 12’, 22’ 46’ Faris 26’, 36’ 59’ Riley 56’
Substitutions
Markus Lam for Brendan Tan (38’) Tan Wei Lin for Cun En (50’) Muhd Irfan for Josiah (57’)

Bowen Secondary School's Girls team crowned Champions

Singapore, 31 July 2012
Source: http://www.fas.org.sg/news/bowen-secondary-schools-girls-team-crowned-champions

Bowen Secondary School triumphed over Queensway Secondary School 3-0 to clinch the 2012 Singapore Schools Sports Council/Football Association of Singapore National Inter-Schools Football C Division Girls Championships 2012 on Tuesday afternoon at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Two goals from Captain Sasi Kala Tamang, sandwiching Emilia Natasha’s penalty secured the trophy for the girls in red.

Sasi Kala in particular, was a thorn for Queensway and caused no end of troubles for their defence, as almost every chance Bowen made, involved her. While Bowen might not have scored despite dominating the first half, it was a different story altogether in the second twenty minutes.

Just a minute after the restart, winger Natasha Azhar sped down the right wing before cutting the ball back for her Captain. Under pressure from two defenders, Sasi Kala managed to turn and fire a left foot shot into the bottom corner.

Three minutes later, she almost scored another through a freekick, but her shot was a tad too hard as it canonned off the cross bar before bouncing away. There was to be no stopping her however, as she continued to slice Queensway’s defence apart and earned a penalty in the twenty eighth minute, which was converted coolly by Emilia Natasha.

The final goal of the game came seven minutes before the final whistle, with Sasi Kala netting another directly from the corner kick to take her tally for the championship to twenty five, earning her the golden boot award to pair up with the gold medal her team deserved.

In the 3^rd/4^th placing match played earlier, Whitley Secondary School emerged 3-0 winners over Woodlands Secondary to win the Bronze medal award.