Tennis (M):
KE vs EH - 3 : 2
**VICTORY against defending champ EH!!**

Having just supported the girls’ team against Temasek, I arrived at the SRC late. 4 of our men were already playing the Eusoff teams, spreading from one end of the court to the other. I decided to stay to support the doubles as they were nearest the entrance and I was too lazy to walk down the court to where our singles were playing. That proved to be a very fortunate strategic choice because that match was clearly the most nail-biting match of the evening.

Before I arrived, Junde had already won the first singles match. It was an advantageous lineup that gave us that comfortable win. From what I was told, Eusoff had put in their weakest player as the “sacrificial lamb” into the first singles, hoping that he would be playing against one of our stronger players. As things turned out, Junde was put in, admittedly and ironically, also as a “sacrificial lamb”. However, unfortunately for them, Junde proved to be stronger player and we won the first match for the night. The score was 9 – 5.

While I was busy watching the Vietnam duo, Nguyen Hai Vu and Nguyen Manh Khoi, belting it out in the doubles, further down the court, Sandiip was valiantly defending against the attacks from a Eusoff player. Though being of lower calibre compared to the opposing IVP tennis player, Sandiip displayed the true KE “Never Say Never” spirit, fighting for every single ball, never giving up though the odds were stacked against him. He lost that match, 9 – 2. Regardless, it was a match played valorously.

The Nam duo, though visibly stronger that the Eusoff team, were slowly but surely losing their nerve together with the control of the game. Balls that should have been caught were missed. Hits that should have sent the balls sailing over smacked them right to the middle of the net instead. Return shots that should’ve stayed in went out. Everything was going wrong. The gap of the score was widening from 1 – 0 to 1 – 3 in Eusoff’s favour.

On the other side, our 2nd doubles, Abhinav and Siva, were also having trouble. They lost that match 9 – 1. I didn’t have a chance to witness them play so I’ll quote Terence, who attributed the loss to Abhinav’s and Siva’s inexperience in playing against formidable tennis foes. If nothing, this is good practice to gain valuable experience in using them favourably for our next match.

While Abhinav and Siva were still playing, the Nam duo was losing badly. The gap had widened to 1-5. They kept taking hard shots and going for the kill but the inconsistency of their hits cost them many fatal mistakes, giving Eusoff hold over the match. By then, the KE supporters were visibly disheartened but kept cheering the persevering duo all the same.

We were to play 5 games; 2 doubles and 3 singles. We had already won 1 singles but lost 2 matches out of the 5. Raghav (”Rags”) had yet to play. If the Vietnam duo failed to win this match, we would have lost the battle.

At that point in time, the Nam duo changed their game plan. It could have been due to fatigue or done as a strategic move, but our doubles started playing with rally shots that proved to be more consistent than their usual hard-hitting stances. Putting a halt to their careless mistakes, they brought the game back with equal consistency. Again, slowly but surely, they closed the gap, 5 – 5. It was a wonderful comeback and fire glowed in the eyes of all KE supporters as they rallied round the court to cheer on the tenacious duo. We were winning! 7 – 5!

The final match then began at the court alongside, with the best players pitting themselves against each other. We were worried, wondering if Rags was their match. Supporters stood in between both courts, shouting cries of encouragement that followed strained necks. The Nam duo was still leading, 8 – 6, and Rags had just won the first point. It was tense. The Eusoff tennis team was getting worried. If we beat them, it would be a great upset to this sporting powerhouse. They went on court often, to encourage and render morale. After a very long fight, our Nam doubles won! From a dismal 1 – 5, they perservered and proudly brought home the match at 9 – 6. They were our phoenixes that had risen from the ashes.

Now the onus was on Rags to win this final match for us to get into the semi-finals. He was leading 3 – 2. Despite being visibly stressed, he kept his game in check, beautifully executing his strokes against the Eusoff captain, bringing up the lead to 6 – 3. Standing directly behind the court, I was wary of the fierce balls coming from both sides, afraid that I might be in their path of painful flight. The atmosphere was so tense that I was worried I might become an obstruction for the players who would want to fly into the fence in order to save a stray ball. In the end, Rags brought it all the way. The score was 9 – 3! KE broke into a thunderous overture as we celebrated our entry into the semi-finals.

Overall score: 3 – 2

- Lynn

Guys’ Volleyball:
RH vs KE - 25-12, 24-16

The RH/KE Volleyball Match commenced as the sun began to set at 6pm on Monday 15th Jan.The winner of the match would move onto the Semifinals. Hopes ran high in the KE camp of making it to the next level of the tournament.

The first team of 6 players included Captain Andy, Arthur, Yushen, Sen, Ryan and Hansley. The first 10 minutes of play saw the first ’spike’ of the game by Arthur which led to a score of 06-04. (A ’spike’ in volley ball parlance is identical to a Badminton ’smash’ achieved by bashing the ball directly downwards.)

But this deadlock was short-lived as RH surged forward to 18-11 by half-time. The short break gave the team a chance to revise their tactics. Both Arthur and Andy suggested that the team calm down so as to reduce the number of mistakes, which is only natural when under stress. With this pep talk , team morale was boosted and play resumed. However, the set ended with the score at 25-12 in RH’s favour.

While Andy and Arthur discussed ’spike’ tactics, they also pressed the team not to worry about mistakes during play.

Set 2 commenced with a substitution of Sen (#3) by Wenyuan (#18), and quickly became a stalemate 1-1 with a masterful defense by the Keviian side. Despite some strike attempts , RH managed to limp to a score of 9-5 before a substituion of Sen for Wenyuan. By half-time the score stood at 20-12 with the captain pressing the team to give it their very best without fear of injury. Play commenced with a spike attack by Ryan which broke through the RH defense and drew the cheers of the Keviians.

Despite these heroics and some frantic volleying, the game ended with a 24-16 win by Raffles Hall. Most senior players attribute this loss to mistakes which occurred during play. As pointed out by players, 2 KE spikes Vs 1 RH Spike proves that ability exists within the team and that there is hope for the next IHG. All we need to do is maintain our composure during the game, and believe that we can win!

- Aeshan