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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