IHG Week 7 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

27 Jan 2014, Monday

Sepak Takraw vs Hall 4
WON 2-1

Today’s Sepak Takraw game against Hall 4 got off to a great start with an exciting display of fancy headers and nifty footwork from our players. However, despite scoring the first few points and leading the game, our team of Arnold Wee, Christopher Gan and Parthiban Mathevananeventually started trailing behind, leading to the disappointing first loss of the day.

Fortunately, Game 2 saw a swift turn of events as our players proceeded to dominate the game. Despite Hall 4’s best efforts, nothing could be done to stop our team’s solid performance. After a few near misses, the trio of Wong Zi Hao Billy, Kenneth Gan and Fadli Amin went on to close out the game for the win.

Game 3 - the tiebreaker. Hall 2 and 4 went neck to neck, with things growing increasingly heated by the second; this being the decisive game. This nail biter of a game saw points being scored by both teams one after the other, with the outcome still unclear. With Hall 2 leading by only one point, things started to look up when our trio of Blven Chan, Arun Vinoth and Satyajeet Akhilesh stepped up their efforts with a burst of adrenaline, ultimately clinching the victory.

With this match won, Hall 2 has qualified for the final pool, giving them the much-sought after chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals. We can definitely be rest assured that the team will do us proud in future games.

Courtesy of Ying Ying Phua

Tennis vs Hall 8
LOSE 2-3

Our tennis team today bowed out at the quarterfinal stage with a hard-fought 2-3 loss to Hall 8.

With 3 IVP players in their lineup, Hall 8 were the favourites from the very start. For our team to stand a chance, we had to get the matchups right and play our very best; and we so nearly did it.

In the men’s and ladies’ singles, Eugene Tang Wei Da and Michelle Neoboth gave their all and put up a great fight, but their IVP opponents’ class told in the end as they fell to defeats.

Sim Yuh Harn and Adelle Tang were up next in the ladies’ doubles. Their opponents were an IVP tennis player and an IVP squash player, whose tennis skills were noticeably questionable. Despite one of their opponents being vastly superior, leading to some nervy moments in the game, they came through in the end to record a win for Hall 2.

In the men’s doubles, Ong Zi Quan and Jian Ming Phua had a reasonably easier time, making quick work of their opponents. The game was noticeable for some dubious umpiring as well as Zi Quan’s outbursts of exasperation whenever he had to run a bit more than expected.

Finally at 2-2, it was down to the mixed doubles to decide which Hall would progress to the semis. Ruey Yi and Adeline Seah were more than a match for their opponents, but, blame it on luck, blame it on form, the points just would not fall for them, as they fell to their Hall 8 opponents.

In spite of their disappointing defeat, our tennis team can take pride in their performances over the past few weeks. In a sport where victory is largely decided by how many IVP players you have in your lineup, our team has done exceedingly well to come so close to a semi-final berth. We hope that they take pride from their performance to come back even stronger next year.

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IHG & IHRG Week 6 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

20 Jan 2013, Monday

Sepak Takraw v Hall 7
LOSE 0-3

Against the formidable opponents of Hall 7, our Sepak Takraw boys fought hard and strong. Exemplified by powerful headers by Parthiban and a valiant dive from Arnold Wee in an attempt to save the ball, every member on the team did not give up against the strong competition. Unfortunately, they were unable to clinch the first game of the season.

However, the members kept their morale high even as they played the last set having gloriously lost the first two. Stay tuned as they fight their way through the next two rounds of the preliminary stage and be rest assured that they will play their hardest for every set of every game!

Courtesy of Melody Tai

Contract Bridge
v Hall 7 LostOur Contract Bridge players were unlucky to fall to Hall 7 in a close first game of the season but will leave no reservations in making a comeback in their next round.

21 Jan 2014, Tuesday

Contract Bridge

v Hall 10 WIN 15.23-4.77
v Hall 15 WIN 20-0

Despite convincing wins over Halls 10 & 15, our Contract Bridge team was unexpectedly knocked out of the preliminaries today, after results elsewhere did not go in their favour.

Had Hall 7 won Hall 10 as expected, then a quarter-final place for the team would have been secured, especially after today's results. But an unexpected turn of events meant that qualification would depend on the amount of victory points, which we lost out on to Hall 10 by the narrowest of margins.

This defeat is especially hard to take if you consider how the Contract Bridge team often practices not just late into the night but early in the morning in the Rec Room. Nevertheless, life often throws us unexpected hurdles when we least expect it; all we can do is to get up and get on with it.

22 Jan 2014, Wednesday

Waterpolo v Hall 3
WIN 19-4

You know they say if you fail, try and try again?

Well, our legendary talisman did not fail us this time round. The SEA Games gold-medalist finally scored with his head, as well as in our hearts, as Hall 2 decimated Hall 3 with an imperious score of 19-4. Hall 3 may boast of a couple of IVP players but Hall 2 boasts of 12 unstoppable players, as well as our favourite (and only) SEA Games player, Toh Zhi Hong.

A special mention goes out to The Darker Knight, Arun Vinoth. A mean-looking beast on land, a behemoth under water, his shots were completely unstoppable and the keeper from Hall 3 had to tape his fingers after the match.

No joke.

Without the support of Kenryu Wang, Ng Kah Leong, Jordan Ang, Alvin Kuek, Ray Lim Ng, Chua Hong Qian, Eugene Tang Wei Da, Yuan Pin,Tong Xu Le, Francis The Shark and our very own waterpolo mascot, Ong Zi Quan, dubbed 'Homer Simpson', the scoreline would have been vastly different.

The Water Polo team would like to extend our thanks to all the supporters for coming down despite a tiring school schedule. Join us at our next match and watch us destroy our opponents.

No joke too.

Courtesy of Chua Yuan Pin

24 Jan 2013, Friday

Squash v Hall 1
LOSE 2-3

Our squash team fell to a highly unfortunate 2-3 loss to Hall 1 in this Loser Pool tie, bringing their IHG season to a premature yet undeserving end.

Despite wins by "Harry Potter" Yuzheng Peh and Jordan Low, an unlucky matchup meant that SEA Games gold-medalist Toh Zhi Honghad the tough task of facing Hall 1's strongest player. He may a beast in the pool, he's certainly a pretty legit squash player, but this time it proved a bridge too far. Both Angela Ng and Michelle Neo also fought hard in very close ties, but luck just wasn't on their side.

On another day, with a more advantageous matchup and slightly better luck, it could so easily have been a win for Hall 2. In spite of this setback, I am sure the Squash team will recover from this setback to come back next year and bring glory to the Hall once again.

25 Jan 2014, Saturday

Road Relay
4th

Our Road Relay team did us proud today as they put in a superb effort to finish 4th overall at NIE.

With the weather cool and breezy without being extremely sunny, it was as close as it could possibly get to ideal running conditions in Singapore. However, as anyone who has taken the Campus Loop would tell you, the terrain around NIE is anything but a stroll in the park. Runners had to run out of the NIE triangle of buildings, make a loop around NIE, before climbing the extremely steep upslope along Halls 3 & 16 to finish their 2.2km route inside NIE. This meant that proper race planning and lactic acid endurance assumed a greater importance; anyone guilty of starting off too quickly would find him or herself paying a painful price later on this sadistic route.

Our runners have been training hard all season, but they have only tried this race route a few times previously and it was understandable that there was a slight air of apprehension just before the race. Nevertheless, they all planned and executed their race plans to a tee, adapting to the conditions seamlessly to all run close to their season’s best.

Sports King and recent birthday boy Emmanuel Chia showed no after-effects of any overzealous birthday celebrations whatsoever, giving our Hall a good start after starting off. The end result was dependent on the combined time of all 10 runners rather than the finishing positions, but a good start that placed Hall 2 in the lead chasing pack was important in giving us that slight psychological edge that may have made the difference.

What definitely made the difference though, was the persistence and perseverance our runners showed not only today, but throughout all their training sessions, and today was simply the culmination of all their effort.

 

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IHG & IHRG Week 5 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

15 Jan 2013, Wednesday

Waterpolo v Hall 15
WIN 19-2

Hall 2 Water Polo won with a convincing score line of 19-2 against Hall 15 for the first preliminary round of the IHG season. The legendary SEA-games gold medallist, Toh Zhi Hong, was a beast in the pool. Not satisfied with simply scoring routine goals, he set a personal goal of trying to head the ball in. The effort was close but the ball rolled off the post and the keeper pushed it out. Before he could try his overhead kick, he was taken out of the match for fear of the opponent team giving up and leaving the pool before the time was up.

In the team of 13 selected, majority of the players were new to this sport. However, their performance in the pool was of no novice level. Several of the goals were scored by Van Myran Neo and Tan Yuan Song. A special mention goes out to the amazing Kor Kiat Yao, who scored a new personal best of 3 goals in this match. He will no doubt be scoring another hat trick in his room.

The Water Polo team would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the supporters that came down. Despite the utter dominance of this match, it would not have been possible without the loud cheers from the sides.

Courtesy of Chua Yuan Pin

International Chess
v Hall 13 Lost 1-4
v Hall 16 Lost 1-4

Despite the best efforts of our Chess team, we were unable to overcome superior opposition in the form of the other halls, and hence did not qualify for the semi-finals. Nevertheless, the experience of competing against stronger opponents would have stood our players in good stead, as they strive to better their performance in next year's IHRG.

17 Jan 2014, Friday

Squash vs Hall 13
Lost 3-2

Our squash team was highly unlucky to fall 2-3 to last year’s finalists Hall 13. The team lost both men’s singles ties but won both women’s singles ties to leave the overall score delicately poised at 2-2. “Harry Potter” Peh Yuzheng stepped up in the deciding tie to try and complete an unlikely underdog victory, but alas fell just short, as he lost both sets by close scores of 9-11.

Nevertheless, such performances against the seeded team are highly encouraging, and provide a steady platform for our team to perform even better in the next game.

Netball vs Hall 6 
Lost 22-14

Despite fighting tooth and nail, our netball girls ultimately lost out 14-22 to rivals Hall 6 in the first game of the IHG netball season. The match however was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests; both sides were fairly even in open play, with the difference between the 2 sides eventually boiling down to Hall 6’s efficiency in front of goal.

As a whole, our girls can still take pride from the way they developed the play; their methodical pass-and-move style will surely reap them their just rewards before long.

Boggle
vs Hall 3 lose 5-0
vs Hall 13 win 4-1

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IHG Swimming Heats & Finals

Saturday, 18 January 2014

SRC SWIMMING POOL, NTU

HALL 2 ARE CHAMPIONS FOR 3RD YEAR IN A ROW

4x50M FREESTYLE (WOMEN) 1ST

1. Melissa Choo

2. Brenda Teo

3. Artrillian Ng

4. Wu Zhe Kang

4x50M FREESTYLE (MEN) 1ST

1. Toh Zhi Hong

2. Ray Lim Ng

3. Francis Koh

4. Van Myran Neo

4x50M BREASTROKE (WOMEN) 2ND

1. Melissa Choo

2. Leong Hui Min

3. Cheyenne Ching

4. Brenda Teo

4x50M BREASTROKE (MEN) 1ST

1. Kenryu wang

2. Ng Kah Leong

3. Van Myran Neo

4. Ng Yang Theng

4x50M MEDLEY (MIXED) 1ST

1. Andy Leong (Backstroke)

2. Ng Kah Leong (Breaststroke)

3. Wu Zhe Kang (Butterfly)

4. Artrillian Ng (Freestyle)

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IHG Waterpolo Prelims by Chua Yuan Pin

SRC Swimming Pool, NTU

Hall 2 Water Polo won with a convincing score line of 19-2 against Hall 15 for the first preliminary round of the IHG season. The legendary SEA-games gold medallist, Toh Zhi Hong, was a beast in the pool. Not satisfied with simply scoring routine goals, he set a personal goal of trying to head the ball in. The effort was close but the ball rolled off the post and the keeper pushed it out. Before he could try his overhead kick, he was taken out of the match for fear of the opponent team giving up and leaving the pool before the time was up. 
In the team of 13 selected, majority of the players were new to this sport. However, their performance in the pool was of no novice level. Several of the goals were scored by Myran and Yuan Song. A special mention goes out to the amazing Kor Kiat Yao, who scored a new personal best of 3 goals in this match. He will no doubt be scoring another hat trick in his room.
.
The Water Polo team would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the supporters that came down. Despite the utter dominance of this match, it would not have been possible without the loud cheers from the sides.

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IHG Hockey (F) Finals by Sean Lim

Hall 2 v Hall 14
WIN 1-0 (AET)

Thursday, 9 January 2014

NIE HOCKEY PITCH, NTU – In a largely one-sided final, the Hall 2 female hockey team emerged victorious after extra time with a 1-0 win over Hall 14, winning the championship for the first time in a long, long while.

The female hockey team has been dominant all season, scoring plundering goals from all corners, yet only conceding 1, and an own-goal at that. Meanwhile, Hall 14 were surprise finalists, after upsetting defending champions Hall 3 in the semi-finals with some smash-and-grab tactics. It was no surprise that we started the game as favourites, but finals being finals, everything gets thrown out of the window once the game starts.

Fortunately, when the game started, we started on the right note. From the get-go, our girls proved exactly why they were such strong favourites coming into the game, with Shireen dribbling past a few dazed-looking defenders and finding herself through on goal. Sensing that Artrillian was in a much better position, she squared the ball to Art but Art failed to convert. No matter, a warning has been served, that Hall 2 is out for 

the title.

That move from the first minute set the tone for the game, for the rest of it pretty much consisted of Hall 2 camping in the opposition half of the pitch, trying all sorts of ways to force the ball into the net.  Credit’s due where credit’s due, Hall 14 did put up a valiant backs-against-the-wall defensive effort, scrambling the ball away from the goal line on many occasions just when it seems a goal was inevitable.

There were a few occasions that Hall 14 did manage to break out of their half into ours, but those were far and few between, and on those occasions, they would find the majestic figure of captain Esther, or ‘Bobby’, in their way, thwarting whatever designs they may have on our goal.

Hall 2 thought all their offensive pressure had paid off when Petrina shot from the edge of the D into the top corner, only for the referee to inexplicably disallow the goal for a high stick that did not really seem like a high stick. The whistle blew, ending all sorts of celebrations that already began.

Into extra time we went, and it was a sense of déjà vu as Petrina attempted a nearly-identical shot with identical results: ball in goal. This time, there was a sense of trepidation among the supporters and the players; no one wants to celebrate prematurely again. But this time, there was no whistle.

Goal given. Cue celebrations.

Hall 2 were female hockey champions.

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IHG & IHRG Week 4 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

6 Jan 2014, Monday

Volleyball F v Hall 7
LOSE 0-2

Our volleyball team fell at the quarter-final hurdle today with a 2-0 loss to Hall 7. The girls fought hard and tried their best, but were at last unable to overcome the team which just had the better luck on the day.

Having said so, it was a commendable effort from the girls, for they were consistently 5 points behind in the first set, but they managed to dig deep and find immense reserves of fighting spirit and willpower to claw it back to 20-20. This impressive comeback was led by the likes of Joan Lim and Mainisah Buang, who led by example and always inspired the team to try their best.

It was really unfortunate that we lost, as if the Gods were conspiring to deny us the win we so deserve. This result simply does not do the hard work that our girls have put in any justice at all. But they say that it is in defeat that we learn our greatest lessons, and I cannot agree more. We hope that this match will serve as a source of strength and inspiration, the driving force behind the team when they face future challenges, which they will, but this time, emerge victorious.

 Photo Credits: Neo Wen Ling

Darts

v Hall 6 WIN 4-1
v Hall 15 LOSE 2-3
v Hall 1 WIN 4-1
v Hall 8 WIN 3-2
v Hall 12 LOSE 2-3

With 3 wins from the preliminaries today, our team stand a good chance of making the semi-finals, should we win our remaining games tomorrow.

Photo Credits: Neo Wen Ling

8 Jan 2014, Wednesday

Soccer v Hall 14
WIN 5-0

Our soccer boys went one better than their previous game with a resounding 5-0 win over Hall 14 to qualify for the quarter-finals in style.

2 goals from Farhan Azmi, headers from captain Kenneth Gan and Yong Geng Tan, and a stunning free-kick from Wong Zi Hao Billy ensured that Hall 2's dominance of the ball had the right result to go with it.

It was not all smooth-sailing, however, as Hall 14 threatened to score from set-pieces on a few occasions, and goalkeeper Eugene Koh had to be on his toes to secure the clean sheet. Substitute goalkeeperShaowei Lim also pulled off a fine save when Hall 14 had a one-on-one chance in the 2nd half. Nevertheless, the manner in which Hall 2 controlled the game would have pleased all supporters present at the game.

Badminton
v Hall 9 WIN 3-2

v Hall 13 LOSE 1-4 (Quarter-final)

The overall score is 2-2, you are one set down in the final game, and your opponent is 18-14 up, 3 points from securing their Hall the victory. Do you give up?

That was the situation Gan Soon Chuen and Wang Ling Toh faced in their Mixed Doubles game against Hall 9, 4 points down, with a mountain to climb to even equal the score. But that was exactly what they did, showing amazing fighting spirit to win the set and eventually the game, providing a gripping end to what had been a tense and emotional tie.

The quarter-final against Hall 13 may have eventually proved a step too far, a mountain too high, but the manner in which our badminton team even qualified for the quarter-finals is highly admirable and will hopefully live long in the memory of those who witnessed it.

Scrabble

v Hall 4 WIN 5-0
v Hall 15 LOSE 4-1
v Hall 16 LOSE 5-0
v Hall 6 LOSE 5-0
v Hall 14 LOSE 5-0

Our scrabble team got off to a great start with a whitewash of Hall 4, but eventually the relative inexperience of our players at IHRG level told as the craftiness and technical superiority of the other Halls proved too much for our team to bear. The remaining 2 fixtures tomorrow will nevertheless provide our youthful team with some much-needed competitive experience that will stand them in good stead.

10 Jan 2014, Friday

Softball M v Hall 3 (Quarter-final)
LOSE 0-8

The scoreline may seem comprehensive, but the game was in reality a much closer affair. Despite more than holding their own in terms of fielding, our softball boys just happened to have a bad day in the office where batting was concerned. Such is the fine line between victory and defeat, that should the game be replayed 10 times, not only would the score difference not be so big, but Hall 2 would probably have won quite a few legs of this hypothetical 10-game series. It was simply one of those days.

On behalf of the Hall, we would like to thank the graduating seniors of Justin Teh, Parthiban Mathevanan, Seow Wei Chung and Darren Poh for their contribution to Hall 2 Softball over the years. Special mention also goes out to exchange student Lukas Deksnys for his involvement over the past semester.

Defeats happen to everyone, but it is from the reaction that the better men are discerned. Softball boys, we sincerely hope that you will emerge from this disappointment as a much stronger team.

Photo Credits: Neo Sian Yin

Weiqi
v Hall 8 WIN 3-2
v Hall 7 WIN 4-1
v Hall 4 WIN 4-1
v Hall 14 WIN 5-0
v Hall 10 WIN 4-1

Our Weiqi team started off with their toughest fight of the day against Hall 8. The win served as the springboard from which we embarked on a 5-and-counting winning streak. Our Weiqi heroine, SiDing Wang, faced Hall 14's strongest player in an uphill battle to clinch our first 5 – 0 victory. Freshmen players Jia Ming and self-proclaimed M7 Nicholas Sim Yi Ming also performed admirably. Despite their relative inexperience in the game, they were able to execute what they learned from their seniors and did Hall 2 proud.

In the words of our legendary star player Toh Honghan "该赢的赢，该输的输". Hong Han, as usual, managed to clinch all his games; he even managed to clear the whole board in one of them. The same goes for Mervyn Lim, Hall 2's very own Weiqi maestro.

Courtesy of Neo Wen Ling

11 Jan 2014, Saturday

Weiqi
v Hall 13 WIN 4-1
v Hall 6 WIN 3-2

Qualified for Semi-finals

v Hall 12 LOSE 1-4 (Semi-final)

Our Weiqi team's winning streak continued with wins against Hall 13 and Hall 6, which meant that they had qualified for the semi-finals undefeated.

There were some pre-match nerves before the game against Hall 13, as they were rumoured to be rather strong players too, but our players comfortably passed this test. In the match against Hall 6, our Weiqi maestro Mervyn Lim played a particularly exciting match against the Hall 6 captain. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until an unexpected move by the opponent brought about an unexpected result.

In the semi-finals, our team put up a really good fight against our toughest opponent Hall 12. However, we were ultimately no match for this year’s eventual champions. They were truly this year's dark horses, even beating last year’s champion Hall 9.

Hall 12 possessed in their lineup two extremely proficient players, one of which was a national player. Our legendary star player Toh Honghan put up a valiant fight, but it eventually proved a bridge too far. SiDing Wang, Nicholas Sim Yi Ming and Prince of Weiqi Esmonde Tan did their best, with the Prince particularly unfortunate to lose by a very small margin. Ci Ruixiang however did manage to pull one back for the hall.

It was a pity that the matchup for the semi-final did not offer us the best odds for further progress. However, the effort, dedication and skill of our Weiqi team is evident for all to see and for that we congratulate them on their semi-final achievement!

Courtesy of Neo Wen Ling

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IHG Hockey (F) Semi-Finals by Sean Lim

Hall 2 v Hall 16
WIN 2-1

Monday, 6 January 2013

NIE HOCKEY PITCH, NTU - Our hockey girls defeated Hall 16 by a score of 2-1 to qualify for the Finals for the first time in quite a while.



A tense atmosphere filled the air on this otherwise chill and damp morning, borne perhaps of the consequences that were riding on the match result; it would be the finals for the victors, and game over for the other.

Pre-match nerves were to be expected, but our girls headed into this game in fine form; not only did they beat Hall 10 by a comfortable margin of 3-0 in the quarters, they had also yet to concede a goal. A defence that has been led imperiously by captain Esther "Bobby" Ng has proved unbreachable thus far, while a stellar midfield led by Shireen and Petrina  has bamboozled every team they have faced. On paper, Hall 16 had every reason to fear facing the nouveau hockey powerhouses Hall 2.



And so the pre-match predictions were proved right. After some early tit for tat, in which both Halls slowly felt their way into this contest, our Hall soon asserted its technical dominance. Shireen and Petrina were soon running the show in midfield, while Clara Chin was having the game of her season by intercepting everything Hall 16 could throw at her.

It wasn't long before we finally grabbed the lead, albeit in a slightly unusual fashion for Hall 2. Usually Shireen picks the ball up in midfield before going on a slaloming run that ends with a shot at goal, but perhaps due to the weather, our pressing was more intense today, and it was this pressure that led to the goal. Shireen dispossessed a Hall 16 player near their goal after a restart, squaring the ball for Petrina to finish.

The priority then shifted from breaking down a stubborn Hall 16 defence to stopping a previously blunt Hall 16 attack from scoring. Yeo Mingen and Mainisah Buang may not be the most technical of players but their hard-running upfront ensured that Hall 2 always had an outlet from defence, one in which Esther tried to exploit a few times with hard hits from the backline.



Just when it seems that Hall 2 would simply ride the game out, an unscripted twist happened. Hall 16 managed to win successive penalty-corners, and after one of those they managed to get a good hit in the D. In the most vicious of ironies, Clara who until then had not put a foot wrong at all, unfortunately deflected the hit into her own goal. There was some dispute as to whether the goal stood hence-after, but the rules were clarified for the goal to stand.

That is, until Shireen again stood up and took matters into her own hands. Picking up the ball in midfield, she beat 3 players, found herself 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper, and calmly slotted home to send Hall 2 to the Finals.

 

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IHG & IHRG Week 3 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

30 Dec 2013, Monday

Hockey M v Hall 4
WIN 0-0 (Penalties 2-0)

Weijie once again proved unbeatable from the spot as our hockey boys qualified for the quarter-finals in dramatic fashion. From the first whistle, our boys strived to get the one goal that would secure their safe passage, but despite the best efforts of Azhari, Johnson and Shukri, the ball simply refused to go in. Our opponents' lack of urgency and some dubious calls from the referee also did our cause no favours.

The dreaded lottery of the penalty-shoot out beckoned. It was Weijie's turn to take the spotlight, and building on his penalty save in the previous game, he added another 2 to his collection of memorable saves. The job of converting our penalties was left to Azhari and Shukri, and they did so successfully to send Hall 2 through to the next round.

Volleyball M vs Hall 16
WIN 2-0

It was a tale of 2 halves as our volleyball boys enjoyed a thrilling victory over hall 16 in front of boisterous Hall 2 supporters to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The first set was all about the tactical role of timeouts. Our boys were leading 15-9 when a timely timeout by Hall 16 broke our momentum, and Hall 16 clawed their way back into the tie at 15-15. The 2 teams traded points for the rest of the set, which our boys just edged 26-24.

The second set was all about Bronson, though this is not to belittle the contributions of the other players. His deadly spikes struck fear into the hearts of the opposition, and when they started to pay more attention to him, it only opened up more space elsewhere on the court. In the end it was fitting that Bronson served the game out to a scoreline of 25-19, to the delight of their fervent supporters.

Volleyball F vs Hall 5
WIN 2-0

Despite a somewhat shaky start, our volleyball girls eventually pulled through to qualify for the quarter-finals by a score of 2-0. Led by the inspirational Joan and Tivona, our girls eventually won the first set 25-20. The 2nd set was a lot more comfortable, winning by a score of 25-15, as good performances by Joanne and Zhe Kang proved too much for Hall 5.

2 Jan 2014, Thursday

Hockey F v Hall 10
WIN 3-0

The Hall 2 female Hockey juggernaut rolls on as they comfortably swept their opponents aside 3 goals without reply to progress to the semi-finals.

Goals from Shireen Pj, Petrina Anne De Souza and Dhabitah Yusuf put Hall 10 to the sword, but in all honesty it could have been more as Hall 10 resorted to pulling everyone back into the D at times, complete with 2 players on the line.

Hockey M v Hall 3
LOSE 0-1

Weijie Lee's peerless record where penalties are concerned finally came to an end today as our boys unfortunately crashed out of the quarter-finals.

Hall 3 may have had better individual players, including one who has just returned from representing Singapore at the SEA Games, but our boys showed just exactly how far team spirit, determination and an insatiable desire for victory will carry you as they gave Hall 3 a run for their money.

Hall 3 scored off a penalty from the aforementioned player, having the honour of being the only guy to beat Weijie from the spot this season, but other than that, Weijie actually went the whole game without touching the ball, such was the imperious defensive effort put up by the backline of Johnson Lo, Parthiban and Shaikh.

In midfield, Azhari, Zhan Ning and Shukri had the unenviable task of stifling the Hall 3 midfield, but they stuck to their guns; this may have been Hall 2's toughest opponent yet, but this was also Hall 2's best game, with Azhari in particular showing exactly why his teammates look up to him for inspiration.

In fact, Hall 2 probably had the better chances, but Sean Lim spurned several gilt-edged chances that might even have won Hall 2 the game. Right at the end, Hall 2 had a penalty-corner, taken after Johnson was carded for swearing, that Azhari dragged towards goal with menace, but it was blocked by the on-charging player, and then that was that.

On behalf of Hall 2, we would like to thank the graduating seniors of Johnson, Parthi, Shaikh and Shukri for the invaluable service they have given to Hall 2 hockey over the years, as well as Azhari for stepping up to lead the team in the absence of captain Nicholas Tai.

Tennis v Hall 6
WIN 3-2

Our tennis team overcame a nervy start to eventually emerge triumphant from the opening game of the IHG tennis season. They got off to a blazing start when Ruey Yi, dubbed the 'Prince of Tennis', blasted through his opponent 6-0 in double-quick time. Losses in the Men's doubles and Ladies' singles however turned the tables around. The tables were not done turning though, as Sim Yuh Harn and Queenie Key won their doubles match, before Ong Zi Quan and Adeline Seah sealed the victory in the Mixed Doubles.

Carrom
V Hall 1 3-2 WIN
V Hall 3 0-5 LOSE
V Hall 4 5-0 WIN
V Hall 16 2.5-2.5 DRAW

Today marks the first day of the Carrom preliminaries as our Hall performed well to end the day with 2 wins and a draw. We are still in a contention for a semi-final spot, should we win all 3 games tomorrow.

Photo Credits: Neo Sian Yin

3 Jan 2014, Friday

Badminton
v Hall 9: LOSE 2-3
v Hall 4: WIN 5-0

The badminton season kicked off today at NIE, and after 2 rounds of preliminary games, our team is still in contention for a place in the quarter-finals.

Despite proving to be a match for Hall 9, our team was unfortunate to eventually succumb 2-3 to our opponents. The wait for redemption was not too long, however, as they then proceeded to whitewash Hall 4 by a score of 5-0, with the highlight being a 21-2 set win by the doubles pairing of Gan Soon Chuen and Loke Yan Jie.

To qualify for the quarter-finals, our team would have to beat Hall 9 in the Final Pool game, giving them a chance to avenge their loss when it matters.

Photo Credits: Gwenlin Ho

Volleyball M v Hall 14
LOSE 0-2

In a heart-wrenching loss, our boys were up 24-19 in the first set, needing only a point to seal the first set. Somehow, Hall 14 managed to dig in and close up the 5 point deficit to win 26-24. It was a sickening blow, one in which our team failed to recover from, and soon it was quarter-finals and bust again for our boys.

Carrom
v Hall 9 LOSE 0-5
v Hall 11 LOSE 2-3
v Hall 7 WIN 4-1

Our Hall needed to win all 3 games today to qualify for the semi-finals, which was a bit of an uphill task from the very start. Nevertheless, the win over Hall 7 secured our Hall a quarter-final finish, which is a very commendable achievement in itself.

Special mention must go to team captain Xue Ying as well as Jiahao Lim, for they battled fevers over the past 2 days to bring glory to the hall. This is no mean feat, for each carrom game lasts up to 2 hours, and on the first day Carrom only started at about 10am and lasted till about 9pm. They had done brilliantly to even last through the entire competition, let alone lead our Hall to a quarter-final finish.

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