Awang Bakar

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Awang Bakar (b. 1930 or 1936 – d. 1 July 1964, Singapore) was a footballer who represented Singapore in the 1950s. He won the Malaya Cup four times with Singapore and is best known for his prolific goal-scoring record. In 1999, Awang was ranked 20th in The Straits Times list of Singapore’s greatest athletes.

Early life
Born to a Chinese mother and a Malay father who was a contractor with the Royal Air Force (RAF), Awang attended Tanah Merah School and Kota Raja Malay School. He then became a driver with the RAF and joined the RAF Changi Sports Club.

Newspaper reports have given different accounts of Awang’s age. Reports from 1950 give his year of birth as 1930, while reports from the time of his death list his birth year as 1936. The former year is more probable, given that Awang was reported to have made his debut in the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA) league in 1948.
 
Early career
Spotted by E. J. Rogers, the secretary of the Sports Club, Awang played briefly for RAF Changi in the first division of the SAFA league. He scored six goals in three matches in the 1948 season, and in the following year was picked for the Singapore Malays team.

Awang won the Community League championship with the Malays in 1949 and also played for the Kota Raja club in the SAFA league and for Tiger Standard in the Business Houses League that year. In November, he scored in the SAFA Challenge Cup final as Kota Raja defeated Base Ordnance Depot Civilians Association 3-0. By the end of 1949, the newspapers had taken notice of Awang’s talents as a centre-forward and were pressing for his inclusion in Singapore’s state representative team.

He was selected for Singapore in February 1950 and made his debut in the team’s 2-0 loss to Army-Navy the following month. Awang then made his first appearance in the Malaya Cup in April, and scored two goals as Singapore defeated RAF 3-0. Awang’s goals, including four in a decisive match against reigning champions Chinese Athletic, also helped Kota Raja to the SAFA first division championship in 1950.

In the Malaya Cup, Awang scored a remarkable 14 goals in six matches as Singapore reached the final at Kuala Lumpur’s Rifle Range Road in August 1950. His goal in the final against Penang has been described as one of the most memorable goals in the Cup’s history. Standing around 35m from the goal as Penang goalkeeper Tan Swee Hock took a goal kick, he volleyed the ball back and into the net with the goalkeeper helpless. Coming six minutes before the end, the goal ended Penang’s resistance and settled the match 2-0 in Singapore’s favour.

Awang then played for the All-Malaya representative team in August 1950 and was also voted second in The Straits Times poll of fans for the accolade of Malaya’s Sportsman of the Year. Together with five other players from Singapore, Awang then joined the Kitchee team in the Hong Kong first division league for four months. By the end of 1950, Awang had scored more than 50 goals in various matches.

Further success
In early 1951, Awang moved to Tiger Sporting Association in the SAFA league, and helped the team to the first division title. In the Malaya Cup, Awang’s goals once again brought Singapore to the final, where he scored a hat-trick in the team’s 6-0 win over Perak.

In July 1952, Awang set a Malayan goal-scoring record when he scored nine goals in a single game for Tiger SA, a 14-1 victory over his former team Kota Raja. Tiger SA won the SAFA Challenge Cup in September and the following month, Awang lifted the Malaya Cup for the third successive year. His two goals in the final, including the decider in Singapore’s 3-2 win over Penang, also marked the third year in a row he had scored in the final. In his first three seasons in the Malaya Cup, Awang had scored a total of 35 goals.

Suspension and return
Awang joined the Rovers team for the SAFA league’s 1953 season. However, in April that year, he was suspended for eight months by SAFA after taking part in an unsanctioned tour of Kota Bahru. The tour was for a team named Pemuda Singapore, which played a series of games in Kota Bahru for charity. In the previous year, Awang had been suspended for two months for participating in another unsanctioned tour.

During his suspension, Awang was offered the leading role in a film to be directed by P. S. Rahjans and produced by the Keris film studio. He rejected the role in the film, which was to be about the life of a football star and titled Darah Ku. In May 1953, his suspension was lifted by SAFA after he and nine other players submitted written apologies.

Singapore reached the Malaya Cup final again in 1953, but Awang had begun to show a loss in form and did not score in the final in which Singapore lost 3-2 to Penang. In 1954, he joined the Argonauts team in the SAFA league’s third division, but left the club the same year to join the Police team in the first division. That year, Awang represented Singapore at the Asian Games and in the Malaya Cup final, where Singapore were defeated 3-0 by Penang. He was also ranked sixth in Fraser & Neave’s contest to find the most popular footballer in Malaya.

Later career
In the 1955 season, Awang scored seven goals in Singapore’s Malaya Cup campaign, including a goal in the final as Singapore defeated Kelantan 3-1. The following year however, he suffered a knee injury and his form began to decline. He was in and out of the Singapore team over the next few years, with a number of comeback attempts curtailed by fitness issues.

Death
In June 1964, Awang undertook intensive daily training on his own at Farrer Park in a bid to rejoin the Singapore squad. His dedication in training, which led to him dropping more than 10kg in body weight, impressed Singapore coach Choo Seng Quee. However, on 1 July, Awang sustained a serious head wound after a fall during a game for Changi Malays at the RAF Changi field. He was rushed to the RAF hospital, but died 30 minutes later.

The following day, more than 600 mourners lined the route between Awang’s home in Changi and the Ayer Gemuroh cemetery, where he was buried. Officials, fans and former team-mates paid tribute to the talent, determination, dedication and sportsmanship Awang showed during his football career.



Author
Alvin Chua


References
A. Bakar can play for S’pore. (1953, May 29). The Singapore Free Press, p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

A. Bakar hero of S’pore win. (1950, May 7). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

A. Bakar scores another triumph. (1950, May 10). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Army-Navy get in first blow for Cup. (1950, March 20). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Awang Bakar again. (1953, January 1). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Awang Bakar challenges the ‘smear’ campaigners. (1953, September 13). The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Awang Bakar collapses during game, dies. (1964, July 2). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Awang Bakar justifies selection. (1950, March 15). The Singapore Free Press, p. 10. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Bakar’s 4 goals give Kota Raja championship. (1950, July 26). The Singapore Free Press, p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Bakar had lost his old fire. (1953, August 29). The Singapore Free Press, p. 6. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Bakar hat-trick rallies Rovers to 4-3 victory. The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Bakar suspended for 8 months. (1953, April 16). The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Be a film star? No, says Awang Bakar. (1953, May 2). The Singapore Free Press, p. 5. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Colony Hopes On Halves & Bakar. (1950, April 22). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Don’t write off Awang, says Choo. (1964, June 17). The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Dorai, J. (1963, July 12). Awang asks SAFA: Please give me chance. The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Dorai, J. (1964, June 30). Watch out for the old Awang, says Choo. The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Dorai, J. (1964, July 3). 600 pay their last respects to Awang Bakar. The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Modder, R. (1950, August 12). The goal-scoring machine. The Singapore Free Press, p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Moss, B. (1952, August 16). Awang Bakar – a demon on two legs. The Singapore Free Press, p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Siebel, N. (1950, August 13). Singapore triumph in Cup final. The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Siebel, N. (1950, August 14). Colony Cup XI took their chances well. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Siebel, N. (1961, March 17). Bakar’s return is a sign of the times. The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Siebel, N. (1964, July 3). He always thought of goals he missed. The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Singapore blaze to 6-0 win. (1951, September 3). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

S’pore recall Awang Bakar. (1959, July 10). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Tan, T. S. (1950, May 11). Awang tells how he gets the goals. The Singapore Free Press, p. 7. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Teoh, E. T. (1959, July 13). Old Bakar ‘magic’ beats Malacca. The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

The Strange Case of Awang Bakar. (1951, May 13). The Sunday Times, p. 17. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Why has SAFA dropped Chee Seng & Bakar?. (1953, September 20). The Straits Times, p. 19. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Will Awang Bakar make the grade?. (1957, March 28). The Singapore Free Press, p. 14. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from NewspaperSG.



The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies
Awang Bakar, 1930 or 1936–1964
Football players--Singapore--Biography
Soccer--Singapore--Biography
Malaysia Cup (Soccer)
Sports, recreation and travel>>Ball games>>Football