By THOMAS KOH

HE HAS proven his worth on the pitch but Tanjong Pagar's ace midfielder Samawira Basri is no slouch on the dance floor either.

There was no prize for Best Dancer during the S-League awards presentation on Friday night at the Orchard Hotel Ballroom, otherwise the 26-year-old would have been a strong contender.

Whether it was the Macarena, Lambada or pulsating techno, Wira, as he is known, had all the moves.

Dressed in tight black trousers and a matching turtleneck, Samawira was all dressed to party.

He may not have won any of the major awards that night, but he proved to be a real sport.

He stayed behind to party with the fans after the presentations and dinner.

Fans from every club had been invited to hang out with their football heroes at 10.30pm, after the evening's main programme.

Unfortunately, Samawira and Singapore Armed Forces FC's Steven Chan were the only two who stayed behind for the 200-odd fans.

The other players all went home early.

Said an S-League official: "I'm quite disappointed with the players. This party was organised for the fans who have supported them all season.

"We did not ask much from them, just to stick around and mingle with the fans for an hour or so."

But the fans did not seem to notice.

Yana Lee, a 28-year-old housewife who is six months pregnant, was still seen dancing the night away merrily with her husband Sunny.

Said Yana: "I love dancing and I love Tanjong Pagar United. Nothing is going to stop me from having fun.

"The players might be tired and some of them are involved in a game the next day. So I understand."

Tanjong Pagar went home with the Best Fan Club Award and it is obviously fans like Yana who make it all possible for the Jaguars.

Despite the absence of the players, fans from the other clubs still had a ball as they took part raucously in the games and competitions hosted by the emcee.

All in all, the awards ceremony was a big success.

It was done in traditional Academy Awards fashion with the results kept secret right until the presentation.

Guest presenters in the form of former soccer legends and famous personalities like "Twinkletoes" Chia Boon Leong, Quah Kim Lye, Terry Pathmanathan, Jeffrey Lazaroo, Majid Ariff, N. Ganesan, Joe Dorai and George Suppiah lent a touch of glamour to the event.

They all received rousing ovations as did Diana Ser, the emcee for the evening.

But the sexy Tiger Beer dancers stole their show with their nifty moves on stage and eye-catching costumes.