30 Years Down Memory Lane

Almost exactly 30 years ago to the month, the King Edward VII School Taiping rugby team beat the Royal Military College to become Malaysian champion. This officially marked the revival of rugby in KEVII after almost two decades in the doldrums.

The last great KEVII side before that was the all conquering touring team led by my late father, Cheah Keat Hin who was a teacher in KEVII, in the early sixties (picture, left). That was before the advent of national schools championships.

Since 1978, KEVII has been the only "non-select" school able to take on its more equipped counterparts for national schools rugby honors. It has won many more national championships and has in the last three decades supplied scores of players to the senior state and national teams. The name King Edward VII School, Taiping is synonymous with rugby.

Next Friday, 10th October, more than a hundred ex-players, retired teachers and a handful of diehard supporters will re-live memories at a dinner in Taiping to honor the 1978 coach, Mr Yiew Siew Seng and the current coach, Tiger Ahmad Din. Ahmad Din who played under Mr Yiew in the mid-eighties has been the school coach for more than 10 years. He has emulated the achievements of his former mentor. Their contributions to KEVII Rugby have been invaluable.

The organizers have reproduced a rugby jersey in the design worn 30 years ago for everyone at the dinner. In those days, THE brand for rugby jerseys was the now defunct Bukta Conqueror. The following are some photos that tell the story (click on photo to enlarge):