ACS Old Boys Rugby makes a comeback… ACS has been the dominant force in schools rugby the past 14 years, during which time we bagged 30 out of the 42 titles at stake in the A, B & C divisions; we also achieved 6 Grand Slams for winning all 3 divisions in a single year! Many of our Old Boys have gone on to represent the National team and the various clubs playing in the Singapore Rugby League.

Way back in 2000, several Old Boys were concerned about the state of ACS rugby at the primary school level which was then dominated by St Andrews' Junior. To maintain a constant stream of "homegrown" players flowing into the ACS (Independent) and ACS (Barker Road) teams, it was felt that something had to be done at this junior level. Old Boy and ex-ACSS coach "Chicks" Wong Chee Khiam (ACJC 1978) volunteered to take over the ACS (Primary) rugby programme; he was ably backed up by rugby stalwarts Tang Kee Fei (ACSS 1973) and Cheo Chai Hong (ACSS 1968 & current ACS BOG member).

We began with about 20 players or so, and since then the ACS (Primary) programme has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, we regularly have close to a hundred boys training weekly and last year, ACS (Primary) was finally crowned National U13 Champions for the first time; we also finished Runner-Up in the U11 Nationals. And with more Old Boys volunteering to help out, the core group initially concerned with coaching the ACS (Primary) team has evolved into ACS Old Boys Rugby (ACSOBR).

When the Annual Inter-OBA Games were discontinued in the 90’s, there was no longer an avenue for our Old Boys to play together as a team after they have left school. Though there was talk about forming a club then, nothing came to fruition due to the core group’s work commitments and more crucially, a lack of funds.

In 2006, the first seed was planted when Dr Ang Peng Tiam (ex-President ACS OBA Management Committee) mooted the idea of “OneACS”. The intent was to bring together the ACS institutions and what better way than through sports. ACSOBR took up the challenge and in December that year, a combined ACS (Barker Road)/ACS (Independent)/ACJC team toured Thailand. This was made possible through the personal efforts of a few Old Boys. Special mention goes to Dennis Yeo (ACJC 1981) who took up the challenge of raising funds and taking the lead in sponsoring the tour.

The breakthrough came in July 2009 during the annual ACSOBR meeting. The idea of OneACS had already taken root and the decision was made to put forth an ACS Old Boys team to play in the Singapore Rugby Conference League. We had by then sufficient resources and Woon Kee Yang (ACJC 1989) took up the challenge to manage the squad, while the school coaches Adrian Chong (ACS 1983), Lincoln Tan (ACS 1982), Melvin Deng (ACJC 1999) and ACS (Independent) coach Jock Tiernan all chipped in on the coaching front. A group of dedicated Old Boys also helped Kee Yang in the running of the team. The training sessions were tough affairs but it was good to see so many young Old Boys coming back to train. The sessions were held on Saturdays from 4 to 7pm, with many stretching into the dark.

14 November 2009 marked the rebirth of ACS OBA Rugby when we fielded a team in a competitive 15-a-side match in the Singapore Rugby Conference League. Ably led by captain Keith Oh (ACJC 2004), the team did extremely well in the 8 team tournament which was spread over 4 months. We made it all the way to the final, only to go down to a very experienced SCC Growlers side in a close match, 29-33.

The success of that inaugural season has spurred the club to  rogress to another level. This new season (Nov 2010 – Mar 2011), ACSOBR is fielding 2 teams playing under the Oldham Club banner. The Oldham1s team is playing in the Singapore Rugby Championship League (the league below the Premiership, the highest club level locally) whilst the Oldham2s team will continue to play in the 3rd tier Conference League.

Results have been encouraging so far. Our Oldham1s remain unbeaten after 3 matches whilst the junior side has 2 wins and 1 loss. More importantly, we now have the framework to sustain 2 teams through the course of a season. It is also very encouraging to see so many Old Boys coming back to don the Oldham colours and keep the ACS flag flying in the local rugby community.

The Oldham Club is the name used by our teams participating in the above competition. It exists not as a separate legal entity but as a sub-group under the ACS OBA. While the initial activities of the Club are grounded in sports and rugby in particular, the wider aim would be for Oldham Club to reach out to both our Old Boys and other members of the community as part of an outreach programme. More on the Oldham Club will be shared in time

The Best Is Yet To Be!

Boon Swan Heng (“Swan”) - ACJC1979