World Footy News

Teik Kyat (Fighting Cocks) Take Home Vientiane Cup

All Laos National(s) side play “Seven’s International” match.

On February 28, the Teik Kyat met the Laos Elephants at the Lao Tobacco Sports Field, where they played three games and won three against a mixture of Laos nationals and Australian expats.

In their first matchup, the Myanmar side; only constituted in 2014 and predominantly formed of Australian expats; played a seven-a-side game against the Laos Nationals. (All Laotian Elephants played 12’s match against Thailand Tigers, Australia Day. 2014)

“To play against a side consisting of only Laotian players was a real honour,” said Fighting Cocks’ president Henry Cox after the competition. “To be able to field an equivalent side is an undoubted ambition of the Myanmar club, but for now, we are still an emerging side.”

The first game saw the Myanmar side run out comfortable victors in a 66–18 game but the contest was not without challenge for the side, particularly from Handa, whose efforts through the competition saw him named “Local Player of the Tournament”. “If he’d been playing since he was young, he’d have made the big leagues by now,” said Steve Chapman, president of the Laos Elephants.

Next up for the Cocks was a nine-a-side game against the Laos Felang, a team of Australian nationals. Though this game was tighter, the Fighting Cocks drew to a two–goal lead in the first half and fought hard to maintain the margin in the second, running out 54–34 victors and guaranteeing their place in the final.

The Laos National and Felang Elephants sides then met in an encounter that went the way of the more experienced Australian side.

The Laos National and Felang Elephants then combined to try to prevent the 2015 trophy from leaving home soil, unfortunately Conor Smith, (an American making his match debut for the Myanmar side), dominated his Laos counterparts and won man of the match for the final, inspired his team to lift the Vientiane Cup with a 65–32 win.

Game Scores
Game 1
Lao Nationals 18 def by Myanmar 66

Game 2
Lao Falang Elephants 34 def by Myanmar 54

Game 3
Falang Elephants 91 def Lao Nats 27

Final
Myanmar Fighting Cocks 65 def Lao Elephants 32