Guys’ Squash Finals
KE vs KR - 4 : 1

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KE 7 Squash guys team bags the GOLD on home turf, playing to a brimming crowd of spirited Keviians! 3 IHG championships in the span of 8 days! Is it really true?

Yes. Every word of it. After a hearty 4-0 trouncing of Kent Ridge in the soccer finals earlier that afternoon, Team KE 7 was psyched up for yet another face-off with KR in the squash finals played last night. The entire squash tournament, including yesterday’s finals, was played at the KE 7 squash courts.

Team KR had just beaten TH 5-0 in the squash girls’ finals and their enthusiastic supporters were lingering around waiting for the guys’ finals to begin. As our KE warriors warmed up clad in their stylish new Adidas jerseys, the stands briskly filled up with excited Keviians hoping to see yet another piece of KE history in the making. Our squash boys had defeated KR in the prelims by a convincing scoreline of 4-1, making us the favourites in these finals. The mood in the stands was hopeful- yet wary, as we knew better than to count our chickens before they hatched.

Just as the overflowing throng of Keviians had squeezed itself into the stands, the match got underway. Each match was to be played in a best-of-5 sets format. The 1st singles saw KE Captain Raymond up against KR’s captain, Roy. Our multi-talented Raymond, also a member of the soccer team, had been a key player and goal-scorer in that afternoon’s soccer finals, on the pitch for all of 80 minutes (editor: apparently he had refused to be substituted till he had scored a goal - which he eventually DID - the 4th of the match). This left him somewhat fatigued but it didn’t stop him from giving a robust performance in his match. Clearly the better player, Raymond raced to a 7-2 lead almost without breaking a sweat. He was charged up and hit powerful, well-placed shots. The force with which Raymond hit each shot was astonishing, as was his speed in getting to every ball. Raymond’s unique style has been called “turbo-charged”, “ruthless” and, most accurately, “brilliant”. At this turning point in the set, Raymond seemed tense and a bit too eager to finish off his opponent- which led to him hitting some uncharacteristically bad shots and missing a couple of easy balls. KR quickly took advantage and gained some ground. With a clever drop, the KR player took yet another point to make it 6-7. A flustered Raymond fortunately proceeded to win back the serve and take the last 2 points and the set, 9-6.

After a talk with team coach Sean, Raymond was back for the 2nd set. He was clearly more collected and played his natural game- forceful and consistent. Raymond mixed it up with intermittent drop-shots and deep drives, giving his opponent a real runaround. To his credit, the KR player did chase every ball and literally fell over himself time and again to save the tough shots that Raymond dished out. Nonetheless, Raymond commandingly took the set 9-0. There was little difference in the 3rd set, where Raymond continued to attack his opponent’s weaker backhand and won the set 9-0.
9-6, 9-0, 9-0 to KE.

Next up was our IVP squash sensation, Christopher, facing KR’s Sports Secretary Agyesh. Chris was sure-footed and his relaxed, steady game-play served him well. He was off to a 4-1 lead when his opponent appeared to have twisted his ankle. After some brief medical attention, Chris’ opponent was ready to play again. After a couple more points, the game was stopped again as the KR player wanted to wipe up a wet patch on the court. Ironically, after ensuring that he wouldn’t slip, Chris’ opponent let the game slip out of his control. Chris placed his shots deftly into the corners, making them impossible to return. Before we knew it Chris had won the first set 9-1. In the 2nd set, we were up 2-0 when a remarkable rally transpired on court- the players took turns to outdo each other with an array of skillful drop–shots. Eventually Chris smacked the ball deep, crosscourt- leaving his opponent flailing to reach it, to no avail. Supporters from both halls egged on their players constantly throughout the match but a particular piece of advice from the KR stands “tight balls, tight balls!” was particularly amusing. Chris went on to take this set easily 9-1.

In the 3rd set, there were several long-drawn rallies between the players and KR put up an admirable fight. Still, Chris’ consistency shone through as he outlasted his adversary in most rallies. Apart from some brief moments of brilliance which won him 3 points, the man from KR could do little to beat our champion. Chris took the 3rd set and claimed his well-deserved victory 9-1,9-1, 9-3.

KE was now up 2-0 and had to win one of the next three matches to take home the crown. Our 3rd singles player, Jeremy, was up against Joshua of KR, a national tennis player touted to be the most powerful weapon in KR’s arsenal. In their previous encounter at the prelims, Jeremy had defeated Joshua by a close margin- so this game could go either way. The players seemed evenly matched and the score came to an almost level 3-4. There was an obvious contrast in playing styles between the two. Jeremy’s style was to get behind the ball and wait a split-second before hitting it, while his opponent took the ball as soon as it bounced. It seemed to be a ‘tennis versus squash’ kind of match. Despite a tennis-like technique, Jeremy’s opponent played a very smart game. He knew exactly where to put the ball and how to make Jeremy run. Even so, the true squash player triumphed with a convincing 9-3 win in the first set.

Jeremy’s winning streak was cut short in the 2nd set as his challenger made him run circles around the court. Jeremy was undeterred and ran for one ball after another, lunging to make some impossible returns. The ball would seem just out of reach, but Jeremy would agilely get to it, get his racket behind it and, with a brisk flick of the wrist, put it back into play. The crowd oohed, ahhed and wowed at the death-defying returns that Jeremy executed, again and again. Without a doubt, last night was Jeremy’s best showing in this IHG. He took the set 9-2 to rousing applause from the thoroughly impressed and satisfied crowd of Keviians.

Now it was only one set that stood in the way of KE 7 being crowned the IHG squash champions. A mix of expectation and excitement was in the air as victory was nigh. In the third and final set of his match, Jeremy got off to a great start and dominated the game with his unwavering concentration and unmistakable squash finesse. He brought the game to 8-2, championship point. At this time, many amongst the crowd got on their feet, ready to jump for joy once we won the next point. Alas, victory eluded us and our agonised anticipation was prolonged. Jeremy seemed to have a momentary lapse in focus, lost his serve and subsequently lost a point to make it 8-3. His teammates shouted for him to “focus and calm down” as the home crowd held its breath. Jeremy heeded their advice and won back his serve on the next ball. This time, he didn’t fail to convert the championship point! Jeremy won the set 9-3, won the match 9-3, 9-2, 9-3 and the squash team had won the coveted IHG Squash Championship!!

Out of good sportsmanship, both halls agreed to play out the last 2 (inconsequential) matches to afford their players the match experience. In 4th singles, Denis played Mark of KR, also a national Tennis player. Denis, through his uniquely lackadaisical style and cunning trick shots, made his opponent run around a fair bit. He had some trouble winning the first set as he was still feeling out his opponent. Nevertheless, he managed to bag the first set 10-8 and subsequently the 2nd set 9-1. The players had agreed to just play best-of-3, so Denis won the match without incident. Vincent in 5th singles faced an adept adversary who was a bit too much to handle. In spite of his best efforts, Vincent was outdone 9-1 in the first set. Undeterred, he fought valiantly to equalize in the second set and almost succeeded, but lost out closely 10-8. Overall, Team KE won at the finals 4-1, completing their awesome, undefeated IHG run.

Said Jeremy of his match and the IHG:

“My opponent was good and we had a really good game. This year we trained hard and we did it. The support was great, more than we expected.”

Captain Raymond added:

“All our training paid off and we deserved to win. We appreciate that our opponents were gracious and displayed sportsmanship throughout.”

Squash coach and trainer, Sean:

“Everyone played their best game and fought very hard today. Everything they learnt in training was put to use. The players’ commitment to training was there and it has been extremely crucial to our success. Today, we had the biggest crowd of supporters we’ve ever seen and it gave the players an added incentive to push themselves beyond their limits. The captain’s commitment was exemplary and the team’s enthusiasm throughout the competition was evident. All in all, it was very much a team effort- a very good day for KE squash.”

The post-match euphoria was compounded by the fact that this was our 3rd Gold in this IHG. This past week has the seen the dawn of a new era in modern KE 7 history. Overcoming unthinkable odds, defying popular (lack of) belief and achieving previously unimaginable glory with 3 remarkable championships, KE 7 has certainly outdone itself. Make no mistake- there is only 1 KE hall.

Report by:
Siva Subramaniam

Guys’ Soccer Finals
KE vs KR - 4 : 0

Even before the match started, massive dark clouds loomed in the sky, obscuring the four o’clock sun and threatening to unleash a fierce torrent of rain to thwart the commencement of the match. What the clouds unleashed, however, was not a thunderstorm but a rain of blessing, a brief shower that cooled the scorching afternoon air, which ended just in time for the grass to dry up sufficiently. Thus the stage was set, for both supporters and players alike, for a showdown of epic proportions.

Team KE was up against team KR, whom they drew 1-1 with during the group stages, and supposedly beat during one of the friendlies. H had confided to me before the match that both teams were quite well-acquainted with each other. For example, KR had apparently assigned two defenders to aggressively man-mark H during their first official clash, effectively clamping him down, preventing him from doing very much during that game, which explained the 1-1 score line. Likewise, our defense knew most of their offensive strategies and would be able to employ suitable counter-measures. Thus, it was going to be a tight tactical battle.

The game started in high gear, with KE mounting wave after wave of attack energetically against the KR defense. The defenders would supply long balls consistently forward for our strikers, who would deflect it reliably to the wingers. Then, as they tried to run down the flank with the ball, the midfielders and defenders would push forward to pressure the defense as well as pick up deflected balls. With sufficient back up at hand, crosses would then be attempted as our strikers lurked in the penalty box.

KE7 won both Soccer and Squash finals today! Both were played against KR.