Friday, February 28, 2014

IHG Track Finals by Shukri Abdul Jalil

Track Finals
Overall 1st

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

This year's track finals was unlike any other Hall 2 has ever experienced, primarily because it was the first time in three years that we had a very strong chance of breaking Hall 3's dominance on the track. This was evident from our performance in the heats, where we qualified top for 3 events.
A last-minute change of date, however, threatened those chances as this meant that strong runners such as Toh Wee HongAngela Yap and Mainisah Buang would not be able to run for the hall due to other commitments. The team, though initially demoralized, quickly picked themselves up and used the disappointment to fuel their desire to win the championship in spite of the circumstances. They hit the track almost every night doing disgusting workouts no one knew was possible.
The loss of Mai and Angela also meant that the girls 4x100m team was in need of 2 more runners, which was not an easy task as all. Clarice Yung and Pei Ying were only drafted in as replacements 3 days before and baton passing training was only done on Saturday night, a mere 9 hours before the finals.

This also meant that Hall 2 running queens, Esther Bobby Ng and Wang Ling Toh will have to run 2 lactic-overloading events back to back; one does not simply run a 400m and 800m consecutively just like that. The body’s lactic threshold needs to be of a formidable level to perform such a task. As such, Captain/Coach Shukri took it upon himself to train these two queens for such a grueling task. This included doing long distance sprints such as 300s and 600s over and over again. But their bubbly personas meant that they pulled through with ease.
All was not sunny for the guys either, though they manage to qualify first for both 4x100m and 4x400m during the heats without Track King Wee Hong. Knowing that other halls will overhaul their relay teams to challenge them meant that our guys’ team needed to do so as well.Terence Cheng came to their rescue to replace the unavailable Wee Hong for 4x100m but this also meant that the race strategy had to be overhauled as no one as is as fast as the Track King/IVP Captain/IVP Champion/Legend. The 4x400m guys had to make do with they have and trained to prepare themselves for a tight battle to come. Clinton Chua Ming KianEmmanuel Chia and Lewis Kun all cut seconds during training leaving Captain Shuk as the only burden to the team both in terms of looks and improvement.

With all the trainings and hard work put in the last week, it was time to prove to the rest of the halls that even without our best, we are still the best.
Sunday. Our trackers hardly muttered a word as they started to warm up. Anger and hunger could be seen in their eyes as they did their drills and race preparation.
First up was the 4x100m F. Camellia Goh did a very good job in giving our hall a good position when she passed the baton over to Clarice, however faster halls quickly caught up leaving Clarice 5th or 6th by the time the baton was handed over to our track/hockey queen Shireen.Shireen Pj did an excellent job burning the curve to quickly catch up to second place and it was all left to Pei Ying. The girls lost out to a podium finish by a photo finish; it was that close. Our girls came in 4th and it was a very proud performance by our under-strength 4x100m girls team.
The guys’ 4x100m was next. Things were according to plan as Captain Shuk’s strong start gave our hall a slight lead over the other halls. Terence ran a superb second leg but ironically it was because he ran too fast that cost us a few seconds. He was too fast that by the time he reached Soon Chuen, both were not even in the legal passing zone to hand over the baton. For a good 3 seconds, there was a circus performance going on between the two of them and by the time Soon Chuen had the baton (legally), he had a mountain to climb and climb he did. The track almost melted from his tremendous speed passing the baton to our shining star Fadli in 3rd position. But it was a case of too little too late as he only managed to overtake another runner, helping the team (legally) finish second. The track was on fire from his speed though; they had to douse it with some sand and water afterwards.
The fact that Hall 3 was without their SEA Games runner for the 4x400m F meant that we had a chance for an upset. Camellia dubbed the "pom cha cha" 400m runner was very disappointing as she was so fast that she didn't had time to dance for us in the last 100m unlike in the heats. Jokes aside, she improved by 5 seconds from her heats, which was quite amazing, to handover in 4th position. Shireen made no fuss in closing up the gap, improving by 2 seconds to push the team up to 3rd. Esther was up next, overtaking Hall 3 in the process, but disaster struck when the runner she overtook accidentally stepped on her shoe, causing her to lost her shoe and stumble in the process.
What she did next was what Hall 2 is about. A true reflection of our sportsmanship, she ran back to her shoe and removed it from the track, preventing it from obstructing any runners. Though she lost precious seconds, she still managed to handover the baton at 4th. Just like Esther, Wang Ling too ran her heart out despite also having an 800m race coming up. But the gap left by the accident was one too big and despite her best efforts, our girls finished 4th yet again, just 2 seconds behind 2nd placed Hall 3. It has been that kind of day.

The second last event was a pretty exciting featuring our good-looking (especially Captain Shuk) 4x400m runners. It was going to be a close affair right from the start. As expected, Captain Shuk was a burden when he pulled his groin as he was going out of the blocks. Clearly slower and struggling (from 51.1 secs to 51.7 secs), he finished his leg tied with Hall 16 at first and Sports King Emmanuel Chia did not have such as straightforward a job as he did in the heats. Despite that, he still did fantastically, improving by a full second and handing the baton over to Hall King Clinton Chua again tied first with Hall 16. Clinton’s determination gave him the lead for a good 200m but the tactical Hall 16 runner waited till the last 100m to get back the lead. By the time the baton reached our final runner Lewis, guessed what? We are again almost tied for first with Hall 16 but Hall 3 having a stronger last runner meant that Lewis had to defend second place from the fast-approaching man in yellow. Only upon hearing his second name "Handsome" from the crowd did he realise that he needed to speed up and left the Hall 3 last runner in his wake to finish 2nd. Again they were clearly disappointed but it was a 3 seconds overall improvement by the boys from their heats performance. The boys decided to cheer themselves up by claiming that it was better without Wee Hong as the race would have otherwise been too boring; Wee Hong would have shaved 10 seconds off by himself.
The final race was the grueling 4x800m medley featuring Wangling, dancer Jordan, Esther and Commando Basketballer Ansong. Wang Ling gave a good start to Hall 2 as she run an IVP-level timing of 2:50. Giving Jordan a good base to dance his way through, he was so fast it was unclear if he was dancing or running but the end product was he finished his leg second behind Hall 3 with a time of 2:13. Esther on the other hand had a tougher job as she was sandwiched by 3 IVP runners and it was no surprise that she came in 4th at the end of her leg with a good time of 3:05. Commando Ansong was up and Hall 14 who was 4th had a long lead for him to claw back, which he did. He kept eating away at the lead but realised he was too full 1cm before the finishing line, hence finishing 4th with a personal split of 2:14. Yet again it was a close miss for a podium finish. But this was the best ever 4x800m performance in Hall 2 history. Never before was there a Top 8 finish so it was an excellent job by the 800m runners.
Overall Hall 2 got 29 points from the finals, finishing 2nd behind Hall 3. However, this was before technicalities got in the way. It was deemed that Hall 3 had two cases of obstruction, one in the 4x100m guys and another was in the 4x400 girls where it was against our very own Esther. As a result, Hall 3 were disqualified from both events, leaving Hall 2 champions with the following results from the races:
4x100m F 4th
4x100m M 1st
4x400m F 3rd
4x400m M 2nd
4x800m Medley 4th
We hence conclude this report with one word: K****.
Word count: 1577
Masters Thesis written by Shukri Abdul Jalil


Thursday, February 27, 2014

IHG Soccer by Sean Lim

Soccer Finals vs Hall 3
Lost 2-2 (0-3 Penalties)

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Hope is a very powerful tool. In the wrong hands, it can be used to threaten and blackmail. In the right minds, however, it is the source of miracles, the inspiration for the comeback of a lifetime. And tonight, our Hall 2 Soccer team so nearly did it.
Conceding right at the stroke of half-time was a bitter pill to swallow, an end-result of an offside trap went wrong. The Hall 2 backline stood statue-esque as the ball was played into the area, hands raised in appeal. However, the most crucial thing, the linesman’s flag, did not. Hall 3’s forward was left with an easy finish inside Vinoth's near-post.
Disappointed, yes, but still they believed. Down but not out.
No one would have blamed them for throwing in the towel after the 2nd goal was conceded in equally disappointing circumstances. The ball was sent back into the mixer after Yong Geng Tan headed it out, with the defence again failing to step-up in time. Amidst a sea of confusion, Hall 3 had scored again. Game, set and match?
Not quite. Farhan Azmi had been feeding on scraps all game, a result of
wingers Dalston Leong and Nicholas Tai having to place stopping the Hall 3 wingers as their main priority. When an innocuous-looking punt from Vinoth arrived in his and his 2 markers’ vicinity, he had no right to expect anything. But Farhan still believed. This belief led him to gamble on his markers fluffing their lines, which they did. Now with the ball but with 2 markers on him, and 25m out, Farhan could do nothing but to gamble again. A sidefoot shot that lobbed over the keeper, Hall 2 had pulled one back. Farhan had helped Hall 2 believe again. Game on.
With the wind in their sails, both metaphorically and literally, there was a sudden spring in Hall 2’s steps. After a tactical reshuffle that saw Brendan Liang join Farhan up top, with Satyajeet Akhilesh dropping into defence and Wong Zi Hao Billy moved to the right, Hall 2 suddenly seemed so much dangerous.
And this was to prove the pivotal change. A cross by Billy towards the near-post seemed to have fallen just short being threatening, but Farhan was on to it in a flash. Taking one touch to control the ball while under pressure from a defender and the onrushing goalkeeper, he took another to flick the ball in the general direction of the goal. Time seemed to crawl to a standstill as the ball took an eternity to approach the goal. Surely but slowly, the ball then nestled in the net. Hall 2 are level. Cue wild celebrations of joy and exhilaration.
From 2-0 up and dry to 2-2, with the lottery of a penalty shootout coming right up, the mind of a Hall 3 player was definitely not the best place to be in at the end of regulation time. But they had their keeper to thank, as he pulled off 3 jaw dropping saves to get the shutout he could not achieve in regulation time, and secured the championship for Hall 3.
A Hall 2 win would have made the comeback story complete, but history is littered with teams that are fondly remembered despite having never won: Hungary 1954, the Magical Magyars that taught England a breathtaking lesson. Holland 1974, where Johann Cruyff and his band of free spirits taught the world the wonders of pressing, ball retention and positional rotation. Brazil 1982, simply for the unbridled joy that their football contained.
This is not quite on that level, but what this team will be remembered for is their belief in the power of hope. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, thank you for making us believe again.


Photo Credits: Benedict Ong

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

IHG Basketball (M) Finals

Basketball M vs Hall 6
Lost 63-72

Monday, 24 February 2014
SRC Sports Hall 2, NTU

In the men’s finals, Hall 2 fell 63—72 to Hall 6 in a pulsating final that will live long in the memory of those present.
Chua Kian Kok and Choon Hao Wei had their usual stellar displays, always at the heart of everything good about Hall 2. But the strength of the opposition meant that they were also able to display the steely defensive side of their game that was not really needed until today. Overall, it can be said Hall 2 generally had more control of the ball, but Hall 6’s defense held firm and their superior 3-pt shooting more than made up for their relatively lack of incision into the paint.
Similar to the women’s team, the men were slow to get out of the blocks, with Kian Kok still in the restroom when the game started. Don Tan Cheng Ye had a bright start though, getting the first 2 points on the board, and then emerging high out of a congested area for another layup. A cagey first quarter ended 14-12 in the Sixers’ favour.


The second quarter was a lot more exhilarating. First KK, having finally warmed up, scored a 2 after a brilliant steal by Hao Wei. Captain Jiahao Lim also joined in the scoring stakes with Hall 2’s first 3 of the night. Coming off the bench, Thomson Liu also had his best display of the season, first with a blindside pass to Hao Wei at the low post, then following up with an easy layup after stealing the ball. A rather more exciting quarter ended 30-29 to Hall 6.
The most exciting play of the 3rd quarter was a rejection from behind against the boards by Kian Kok, who was sprinting back at top speed to defend a fast break. Hall 2 also started to shoot a lot more from 3-point range, with Kian Kok again impressing the crowd with a fadeaway 3.Yangzhi Zhong also had a good post-up move. With the end of the game approaching ever closer, Hall 2 were still 3 points down at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Disaster struck at the start of the 4th, however. After conceding a 3-pointer, on the next possession the ball was carelessly stolen, and Hao Wei was forced to foul on defence. Hall 6 was successful from the free-throw line, and before they knew what was happening, Hall 2 was 8 points down.
Hall 2 tried their hardest for the rest of the 4th quarter to close the deficit, but Hall 6’s defence kept them at bay, and just when the gap was getting too close for comfort, the Sixers’ would get a 3 in to widen it again. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Hall 2 was 9 points down, and had come off second in what was a very tight game.
Despite the defeat, our boys can be proud of the manner in which they contributed to a very exciting final. These are the moments we remember, the memories that will live on, whatever the colour of the medal.



IHG Basketball (F) Finals

Basketball F Finals vs Hall 8
Lost 35-55

Monday, 24 February 2014
SRC Sports Hall 2, NTU

The championship ultimately proved a bridge too far for our Basketball girls as they succumbed to Hall 8 by a score of 35-55 in today’s Basketball Finals.

Things did not get off to an auspicious start at all when our girls found themselves 13 points down without reply from the get-go, and it was not until Faith Gloria Khong scored 2 free-throws did Hall 2 finally get points on the board. YiHui Low added another 2 but Hall 8 further stretched the lead to end the quarter 22-4 up.
After that slightly underwhelming first quarter, Hall 2 came out with all-guns blazing in the 2nd. Gan Li Ping managed to steal the ball off their tallest player for a fast break. Cunfang Chua also started to grow into the game, first scoring a 2 and drawing a foul, though she failed to complete the 3-point play. On the buzzer, she then managed to draw a foul at halfcourt, sending her to the free-throw line for 3, of which she converted 2. Before that, Pei Ying executed a Eurostep to draw a foul, but again the free-throw was disappointing. The overall play in the 2nd quarter improved, but poor transitions were letting the team down, and they ended the quarter 31-16 down.
For the next 2 quarters, Hall 8 gave the impression of simply doing enough to maintain the lead, which was a pretty sizeable one. Cunfang became Hall 2’s most potent weapon as the game went on, with a particular move involving spinning her marker before lifting the ball in rather impressive.
But in the end, Hall 2 despite their best efforts, were beaten by the better team. Nevertheless, the team should be proud of having played so well enroute to the finals and we hope they return next year as an even better team.


Saturday, February 22, 2014

IHG Soccer Semi Finals by Sean Lim

Soccer v Hall 16 (Semi-final)
WIN 3-2

Friday, 21 February 2014
SRC MAIN FIELD

Farhan Azmi slotted home late into the 2nd half to propel Hall 2 into the Final for the second year running.
After some neat interplay down the left, the ball was set up for Yong Geng Tan to let fly from range. It was blocked by the Hall 16 defender, but the loose ball broke free to Farhan, who outmuscled his marker, held him off, and retained his composure to seal the win.
It was a fitting conclusion to a game in which Hall 2 always had the edge. The close scoreline does not reflect this superiority, but it does reflect the tension present in this make-or-break semi-final.
Hall 2 had got off to a flying start when an inswinging freekick from the left by Wong Zi Hao Billy found the Hall 16 defence all at sea, and Brendan Liang was left all alone to head Hall 2 into the lead.
This lead, however, was to last a mere 1 minute. Soon after the restart, an attempted sliding clearance by Captain Kenneth Gan was alleged by the referee to have deflected off his hand. A penalty was awarded to Hall 16, leading to voracious and heated protests by the Hall 2 players. Anders Aplin converted the resulting penalty, despite goalkeeper Arun Vinoth guessing the direction correctly.
Our players, however did not let this unjustified setback get to them. They continued to press the Hall 16 players, never letting them have an easy time. This was best exemplified by Nicholas Tai, who despite getting his first yellow card of the season for a late challenge, enjoyed his most effective game by far. "Neymar" Tai, who was more Dirk Kuyt on this occasion, completely ran himself into the ground, continuously protecting his right-back Blven Chan and helping Yong Geng double-up on Anders. The fatigue that was so evident on Nic's face led the watching ex-Captain Chai Ming Long to comment that "Nic looks like he badly needs a stick now."


Their tenacity and doggedness was reward at the stroke of half-time when Billy won a free-kick just outside the area. He got up, dusted himself, and stepped up to send the free-kick curling into the top corner. The keeper managed to get a hand to it, but it was not enough. Hall 2 were in the lead again, and rightly so.
After the restart, Hall 2 sought to slow the game down and just let the game petter out. This was fairly successful; though we only had 2 shots from Billy to show for, Hall 16 were also not getting any change off Vinoth.
Completely against the run of play, however, Hall 16 equalised. In a display of breathtaking speed, Anders picked up the ball in the centre circle, and went racing towards the left touchline, with Yong Geng in hot pursuit. Anders managed to outrun both Yong Geng and Blven, the covering right-back, before squaring the ball for their forward to tap home. Hall 2 was stunned.
The tension went up another notch when Brendan was booked for a slightly cynical trip on Anders after he had the beating of Brendan down the right. Anders obviously did not take too kindly to the foul and immediately squared up to Brendan, but the intervention of Kenneth Gan meant that any potential fisticuffs were nipped in the bud.
Then the timely intervention from Farhan occured. After that Hall 2 really sought to close the shop and hold out for the win, a move best embodied by the deployment of Satyajeet Akhilesh, a right-back by trade, at centre-forward for the last few minutes.
As a bonus, the Hall 2 supporters were treated to the amusing sight of Sat singlehandedly striking fear into the hearts of the Hall 16 defenders by harassing one of them all the way to the corner flag from the halfway line, with the supporters willing Sat to knock the poor fella over and score a dream goal. The term "wrecking ball" was created to describe this phenomenon.
After that minor filler episode, the referee finally decided that enough's enough, and blew the final whistle that signaled our passage into the finals, to the sheer delight of all supporters present.


Friday, February 21, 2014

IHG Water Polo Finals by Sean Lim

Waterpolo v Hall 3 (Finals)
WIN 19-2

Wednesday, 19 February 2014
SRC SWIMMING POOL, NTU

In the end it was all a bit of an anti-climax. Like Captain Francis Koh said, this was a win that was 4 years in the making, but seeing it play out as it did, sometimes we do wonder what the fuss was all about.
As it turns out, Hall 3 had a serious labour crunch coming into this final. Unlike our team, Hall 3 really only had 9 players in their entire team, and on that day, 3 of them could not have make it. The end result was what we saw: a Hall 3 team that decided it would rather take an understrength, understaffed lineup to face the "firing squad", as they termed us, than to concede the final in a walkover.
So in light of this revelation, I guess it is fair to say, however grudgingly, that Hall 3 deserves a round of applause for even turning up for the first whistle. After our earlier clash in the preliminaries, they knew fully well this was as lost a cause as it could possibly be. But still they turned up anyway, facing the prospect of being on the wrong end of the spanking of a lifetime.
As JK Rowling puts it so aptly in The Deathly Hallows, "This cold-blooded walk to his own destruction would require a different kind of bravery."
In such circumstances, the match becomes a mere afterthought; whatever happened before, and after, as I found out on hindsight, eclipsed it so thoroughly. Against opponents in such dire straits, it really doesn't matter how many goals Toh zy scores, or how many saves Kenryu made.
As a matter of fact, it was probably less than the number of fingers on my hand, which is really sad, isn't it? Our graduating seniors have been looking forward to this day for 4 years, yet they were denied the opportunity to really immerse in the atmosphere of winning a final, to get the feeling that they really deserved this win. The same goes for the other freshmen players like MyranYuan Song and Vinoth. We created a video to generate hype, getting our residents down to share in the excitement of playing in a final. Well, whoever was watching a waterpolo game for the first time would not be in a hurry to watch another. Hall 3 never even stood a chance of achieving an underdog win, playing shorthanded for the whole game with absolutely no substitutes.
A situation where no one walked out a winner.
Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we see the things we want and expect to see. We then let our biases and emotions take over, saying and doing things that we ruefully regret later on. It is usually prudent to understand the whole picture before jumping to any hasty conclusions, causing misunderstandings when the whole debacle could have so easily been avoided.
So while we take pride in our waterpolo team's win, let us also recognise that Hall 3 did what they did because they had no other options. Playing with 6 was not a malicious act to taint our victory, but rather a valiant last stand against all odds. I say this not with the intent of being politically correct (all of you should know by now that's not high on my list of priorities), but with the hope that upon reflection, cool heads, rationality and empathy will prevail.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

IHG Touch Rugby Quarter Finals

Touch Rugby v Hall 14 (Quarter-finals)
LOST 1-4

Wednesday, 19 February 2014
SRC Main Field, NTU

Hall 14 stunned the pre-game favourites Hall 2 today as they executed their game plan to perfection to eventually reach the final.
Never had a simple game of scissors, paper, stone carried so much significance. Hall 14 won it, and with it the right to kick-off. They then promptly took advantage of the opening possession to score a try before anyone from Hall 2 had even touched the ball.
Shellshocked by the early setback, Hall 2 never fully recovered. Misplaced passes were a common bugbear, and by half-time Hall 2 was 3-0 down, with the 3rd try coming from some sloppiness in transition that allowed a Hall 14 player to run across half the pitch at full speed.
Captain Jonathan Wong's half-time team talk was inspiring to say the least, and the team took to the field for the 2nd half full of renewed hope and vigour. Alas, time waits for no man, and despite pulling 1 try back, our boys eventually ran out of time to reduce the deficit even further.

Our rugby boys have trained hard for the past 6 months, spending every Saturday at Dempsey Road honing their skills, yet the result today simply does not do justice to the amount of effort they have put in. Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps it was pressure, or perhaps it was just the scissors-paper-stone, but today was not a true reflection of what our team is fully capable of.
Nevertheless, we hope that the collective memory of the team will remember this day, and we hope to see the team in action again next year, with more resilience than ever before.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

IHG Soccer Quarter Finals by Sean Lim

Soccer v Hall 9 (Quarter-finals)
WIN 8-0

Tuesday, 18 February 2014
SRC Main Field, NTU

Star player Brendan Liang showed that he was unaffected by an illegal tapping-up attempt by Hall 16 to lead Hall 2 to a crushing 8-0 win over Hall 9 and into the semi-finals.

There were allegations surrounding Brendan pre-game, with rumours circulating that Hall 16 had approached him to join them next season on a free transfer, enticing him with a lucrative offer that includes an air-conditioned room. But he flatly rejected their offer, and promptly showed exactly why Hall 16 wanted him with a stellar performance that concluded with winning, and converting, a penalty. There are now even more rumours that Brendan could be rewarded for his loyalty with a place in Sports Senior Management, though this is purely speculation.
Brendan aside, it was, as the scoreline suggests, a fairly straightforward game for our boys. In truth, we were helped by some particularly dodgy goalkeeping by Hall 9, flapping at everything that was in the air. Things he flapped at include but are not restricted to, a cross from Arnold Wee, a Wong Zi Hao Billy corner and a Billy free-kick, all of which led to goals.
Yong Geng Tan also scored, but there were suspicions that, great player he may be, he was actually aiming for the other corner. Even Nicholas Tai scored; it was that sort of game.
In other news, Arun Vinoth could be heard complaining about how his lower back was strained from the number of times he had to bend down to pick up "shots" but he should recover in time for the next game.


Tuesday, February 18, 2014

IHG Table Tennis FP

Table Tennis v Hall 1 (Final Pool)
LOSE 2-3

Monday, 17 February 2014
SRC Table Tennis Courts, NTU

Today marks the end of the journey of our table tennis team for the season as they lost to hall 1 with a scoreline of 2-3. Although they lost this match in the final pool, we still congratulate them for their fighting spirit and all the hard work put in the past few months to come this far.
Our females single, Tham Yi Hui, and double players (same name haha),Adeline Seah and Adelene Tan, both won their matches in a breeze with a score of 3-0 respectively. They showed no mercy and wowed us with their quick actions in returning each ball. In the mixed doubles, Chan Hua Peng also showed extraordinary moves with his serves and returns that put the opponents in shock.
Special mention to players Shaun Chng, Tan Yuan Song and Lim Jia Chang who put up a great fight too. As hall 1 boys are generally stronger and fitter, our hall 2 boys were put under immense test. The male doubles match then became the deciding match of the night where the scores were just so close and every single point mattered. Luck wasn’t on our side and under all the stress by the supporters; they lost their match by just those mere few points.
Tonight ended on a very emotional note but regardless of that, we still give three cheers to our table tennis team!
Credits to Rachel Leong


IHG Basketball (F) Semi Finals

Monday, 17 February 2014
SRC Sports Hall 2 NTU

Basketball F v Hall 6 (Semi-final)
WIN 59-54
In a pulsating encounter that could have swung either way in a blink of an eye, our Basketball girls joined their male counterparts in the finals with a nerve-wrecking win over Hall 6 in the semi-finals.
Things did not get off to a good start when our girls were down 0-8 in the 1st quarter, but led ably by Faith Gloria Khong and Cunfang Chua, they rallied to end the 1st quarter 15-13 in the lead. Little did the crowd know that the 1st quarter was to set the tone for the rest of the match, with seemingly comfortable leads by either team always getting closed up, and then swinging in the other team's favour instead.
While this ensured that the game stayed relevant as a competitive endeavour, the side effect was that neither group of supporters were able to enter into a comfortable lull. It was truthfully heart-in-mouth action.
Thankfully, 2 buzzer-beater shots by YiHui Low towards the last quarter meant that we managed to hold off Hall 6's inevitable last rally, and march on into the finals.

Friday, February 14, 2014

IHG Table Tennis WP/LP

Table Tennis v Hall 10
WIN 4-1

Thursday, 13 February 2014
SRC Table Tennis Courts, NTU

Our table-tennis team recovered from their defeat in the preliminary game to win 4-1 today and progress into the Final Pool game.

The most tense game of the day was in the men's singles, where Shaun Chng faced off against their Hall 10's Hall Fellow; yes, Hall Fellows are allowed to represent the Hall in IHG/IHRG/IHCC events. At set point in the 2nd set, Shaun was at match point when the umpire awarded a point in his favour, which would have ended the set. But in an amazing display of sportsmanship, he told the umpire that the ball had actually scraped the edge of his table, and therefore insisted that the point be awarded to Hall 10.
The overseeing Sports Secretary Arnold Wee was dismayed, for he, to put it nicely, possessed a very strong will to win. But luckily for all involved, we still won that set, that game and the overall tie. Karma comes to those who deserve it.
Their next game would be the Final Pool game against Hall 1.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

IHG Water Polo Semi Finals by Chua Yuan Pin

Waterpolo v Hall 16 (Semi-final)
WIN 11-5

Wednesday, 12 February 2014
SRC Swimming Pool, NTU

This match was billed to be the clash of the titans. Hall 2 vs Hall 16. Each had their golden boys, for Hall 2, it was Toh Zhi Hong, and for Hall 16, it was Eden, Zhi Hong’s national teammate.
The match started out in the fiercest of fashions, with shots firing at both ends, groans and cheers were heard all around. After the 2nd quarter had ended, we had only led by 2 goals. With both teams fearsome in attack and iron clad in defence, this match was truly a tight affair.
Our tactic of letting Arun Vinoth sit up front alone as our main target man was a wise move, allowing him to have a 1 on 1 moment with his only defender while we always had 2 men on their target man. With Eternal Captain Ray Lim Ng barking orders and Handsome Japanese Kenryu Wang directing the defence, Hall 2 was always going to have the upper hand. The speedy Ng Kah Leong was a constant menace to their defence, blazing past the defence with relative ease.
As the match drew to its final quarter, the polo boys had worn out their opponents and their attacks became less and less potent. With the clock winding down, Kenryu threw a pinpoint pass to Vinoth, who turned his defender the slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, proving to be the last and final goal of this intense match.
Hall 2 won with a final score of 11-5 against Hall 16.
And now, the most exciting highlight of the match as follows:
What is most fearsome about a shark? Is it its swimming speed? Is it its tenacity when attacking? Or is it the fact that when attacking a prey, they lose their teeth, ONLY FOR IT TO GROW BACK?
Captain Francis Koh showed us the true meaning of striking fear in an opponent. When the Golden Boy of Hall 16, Eden, attempted his unstoppable back shot in the 2nd quarter, Francis raised his arm and successfully blocked it. What happened next shocked spectators; Francis held his shoulder and calmly called for a substitute while trying to exit the playing grounds.
At the sidelines, President Shaowei Lim tried to recall his SSM learnings, but unfortunately, he was too focused on the game and forgot how to pop back a dislocated shoulder. Under orders from The Captain, Mascot Ong Zi Quan assisted him in fixing his shoulder. In reality, the situation was all under control; Francis disclosed post-game that he had trained his left arm in anticipation of this scenario. After resting for the 3rd Quarter, he dived into the pool to ensure the match ended in our favour.
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the spectators who came down to this match. There was a moment in the match when Hall 16 supporters tried vainly to cheer on their team, but were immediately drowned by the cheers of our Hall. These are the moments which truly spur us on to be better.
Our final opponents will be Hall 3, of which we had already won 19-4 in the preliminary rounds. So if you would like to see another ass whipping, you are cordially invited to watch the Polo Boys whip some Hall 3 ass in the pool next week!
Photo Credits: Tan Jun Rong

Sunday, February 9, 2014

IHG Week 8 Round-Up by Yeo Ying Tong

4 Feb 2014, Tuesday

Sepak Takraw vs Hall 6
WON 2-1
Our Sepak Takraw team beat Hall 6 in the Final Pool game today to qualify for the quarterfinals.
First up was the trio of Wong Zi Hao Billy, Parthiban Mathevanan andFadli Amin. They made short work of their opponents in a lopsided victory to draw first blood.
The next game, however, was rather close and a lot more nerve-wrecking. Kenneth Gan, Terence Cheng and Brendan Liang fought tooth and nail before earning 4 match points at 17-20. With the quarterfinals only a tantalising point away, nerves got the better of them as our opponents managed to claw the score back to 19-20, but they eventually secured the win with a score of 21-19, much to the delight of the crowd.
In the final dead rubber tie, Satyajeet Akhilesh, Arun Vinoth and Blven Chan gave their all despite it being a game of no consequence. They lost this 3rd tie in the end, but this failed to dampen the mood of the team as they had qualified for the quarterfinals.



6 Feb 2014, Thursday

Water Polo vs Hall 5
WON 16-1

The Lion RisesToday’s Polo match brought a little surprise to all the spectators watching by the pool side as they managed to see a very rare sighting of the ‘water lion’, there forth known as Qingguo Chua. His majestic mane was swept to the side as the rose from the water to attempt his very first shot in a competitive match. He was aiming for the stars, but alas, the ball ‘flew over’ the keeper and reached the moon. Thank the heavens for our Darker Knight Vinoth who managed to score the goals needed to put us in a comfortable lead.

After an intense first half against ‘Bai Kai Shui’, the scores were 5 – 1, none scored by our ‘water lion’. Captain Francis ‘The Shark’ Koh decided on a massacre, and fielded none other but The Chosen One, Toh Zhi Hong The scores quickly pulled apart, and the massacre ended with a final score of 16 – 1. 

Despite the fact Hall 2 had 4 sports going on that night, we still had a healthy crowd of spectators cheering on the Polo Team. We are really appreciative of your support and without your loud cheers, we would not be able to dominate the match. Although we know everyone there was just looking for abs. Perverts.
Credits to Yuan Pin Chua



Table Tennis vs Hall 11
Lost 2-3
Our table-tennis team lost 2-3 to Hall 11 in their first game of their season. Hall 11, with several IVP players in their roster, were the firm favourites from the start and despite the best efforts of our team, a massive upset was not on the cards.

Nevertheless, our team's performance was highly encouraging, and the match would have proved an invaluable experience for our fledging team.


Sepak Takraw vs Hall 12
Lost 3-0
What do you do if your opponents refuse to postpone your game in order to capitalise on the absence of your key players?
The right answer, as our takraw team has shown, is to channel your anger and try your best to win it anyway. And it so nearly proved enough, as our team gave them an almighty scare before falling just short.

Yuzheng Peh, Dalston Leong and Terence Cheng took to the courts first. They lost the first set, fought through 5 deuces to win the 2nd, but unfortunately fell just short in the 3rd after another long bout of deuces to lose the 1st game.

This was the cue for the lights at the SRC to go out, so players and supporters alike had to relocate to the unfamiliar surroundings of Hall 3 to continue the action. Arnold Wee, Parthiban Mathevanan and Fadli Amin tried their best, but were soon overpowered by hall 12's strongest trio in straight sets. Simultaneously, Arun Vinoth, Satyajeet Akhilesh and Blven Chan raised hopes by taking the first set, but the earlier conclusion of the other game rendered their eventual defeat a mere afterthought.

Hall 12 may have won this tie, but the circumstances surrounding their victory has rendered it a pyrrhic one, as hollow a victory as it could possibly get. It is not the fact that we lost that rankles, but rather the depths that our opponents have stooped to that leaves a very sour aftertaste. What is the point of sport of one can only win in the absence of your opponents' strongest players?

Having said so, the aforementioned players gave their all and were really only this close to securing the victory that would have been the perfect riposte. We hence wish hall 12 the best of luck in their upcoming takraw match; a fish so out of the water, it's fried.



Netball vs Hall 3
Lost 25-16
Today, despite putting up a good fight, the netball girls conceded defeated to a team with players significantly taller than ours.

From first quarter to the last, the team progressed and played better quarter by quarter. The slow and shaky start did not deter the team from giving their best every time they put their bib on and get back on clock. But time waits for no man. Should the team be given another quarter, the tides would turn and the ship would be sailing in the direction we set out to go.

Enough said about the loss suffered today. The team of very committed players with excellent fighting spirit promise the hall and their dear president that next year this time, Hall 3 will only be getting the ayam penyet that they are supposed to bring back today, and nothing else.
Till then, the netball team will train hard and come back stronger next year.
Credits to YiHui Low



8 Feb 2014, Saturday

Track Heats
4x100m M 1st
4x100m F 1st
4x400m M 1st
4x400m F 3rd
Hall 2 breezed through today’s Track heats as the team finished as the fastest qualifiers for 3 out of 4 events.
The 4x100m men’s team gave Hall 2 a great start to the day thanks to a superb anchor leg by Fadli Amin, possibly due to the immense amount of care and love he received from the crowd. It looked to be a similar story with the 4x100m women’s relay but Hall 3’s 100m SEA Games sprinter managed to close up the huge lead we have built to leave it very tight towards the end, with Mainisah Buang finishing just ahead.
The 4x400m men’s quartet simply stole the show, however. Captain Shukri gave them a great start with a superb first leg, providing the foundation for which the team built on to extend their lead. With a lineup that includes Sports King Emmanuel Chia and Hall King Clinton Chua Ming Kian, this is also most probably the best-looking quartet since The Beatles.
With such an impressive showing today, we hope the track team will built on today’s performance to fulfil the potential that they so obviously have in the finals.


Touch Rugby
WON 5-1 vs Hall 8
WON 5-0 vs Hall 10
Soon after at the SRC Field, it was mission accomplished for our touch rugby boys as they made little fuss of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

In the first game against Hall 8, the team was noticeably a little tense, with passes going astray and the general play tending towards the messy side. The afternoon heat was also getting to the players as tensions threatened to boil over, but the resilience of the team, as well as the quality of the opposition, meant that Hall 2 still managed to run out 5-1 winners.

It was in the 2nd game, however, that the beauty of Hall 2’s play really shone through. After scoring an early try via John Foo, the team spent the next 3-4 minutes getting penned back in their defensive 3rd, a result of a combination of silly fouls and careless passes. But their defence was dogged and superb, and as much as they had the ball, Hall 10 simply had no way past, despite several half-decent attempts. Eventually, Hall 10 failed to capitalise on their one period of dominance, and Hall 2 responded with 4 unanswered tries, sandwiched between some solid touch rugby sprinkled with a little stardust. One such try by Captain Jonathan Wong, or “Eggy”, came at a cost of an square-inch of skin, exemplifying the team’s determination to give their all.
I suppose there must be a price to pay for victory, but it is one which they are all willing to pay.

WELCOME TO HALL OF RESIDENCE 2