Pubz Comm Reporter: Chan Yu Kit

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Photo courtesy of KE Photographers

Having recently defeated Sheares Hall in the semi-finals, our girls’ Squash team was all revved up for the final clash with Kent Ridge Hall. As Kent Ridge had two registered IVPs (inter-varsity players) on their team along with another non-registered IVP standard player, one might think that KE’s chances of winning seemed slim. Yet, our spunky girls’ team rose to the challenge and defeated the strong KR team, clinching the Gold award in what was undeniably a suspenseful battle.

The finals opened with Yeelin up for the first singles match. Evidently more experienced than her opponent, she wrapped up the match in three consecutive sets. Even though she dropped a few points at the start of the game, it was not long before she took a decisive lead in the first set, winning it by a 5 point margin. Yeelin then brushed past her opponent in the next two sets (9-0, 9-0) to clinch victory for the first singles match of the finals.

Next up was Sakshi Suri, who faced KR’s team captain (who was also one of their IVPs). KR’s player was more skilful and easily took the match without missing any points. However, this did not daunt KE’s supporters who continued screaming their lungs out and banging bottles to cheer Sakshi on. It was really heartening to be among the sea of red that night as the KEVIIans demonstrated their strong spirit and tenacity.

The third match was by far the most exciting and important one in the finals. KE was represented by Theng Wai for this match. The match was off to a shaky start as KR sped to a 5 point lead in the first set. Both players were visibly nervous, probably because they both knew that the outcome of the finals depended heavily on this one match. Fortunately, Theng Wai managed to stay calm, forcing her opponent to commit a few errors and she pulled off a stunning upset to win the first set from 5 points down.

The second set then ended in KR’s favour. Sets were then exchanged as Theng Wai won the third set but lost the fourth. She was clearly frustrated with the progress of the match but never once did she show any sign of despondence. All this while, the atmosphere in the spectator’s area was gripped with tension as the crowd fervently cheered Theng Wai on. Amidst the supporters’ ringing shouts of encouragement to Theng Wai, the fifth and determining set began.

All eyes were on the two players. KR’s player opened the serve and the final set was off to a whizzing start. The audience watched in anticipation and cheered madly for each point scored. Every point was truly a fierce battle in itself, with each player exhibiting splendid shots and services. However, to this writer’s untrained eye, it seems that Theng Wai had the upper hand in terms of her serves, winning a few points when her opponent failed to return her serves. Eventually, the score evened out at 7 all, with both players just a mere 2 points away from victory.

Theng Wai served and to the supporters’ and her dismay, the ball was out. Service was then transferred to her opponent. Thankfully, Theng Wai bounced back and won the rally, regaining her chance to serve. The battle for the precious 2 points then continued and the audience watched with bated breath. Finally, Theng Wai managed to pull through and won the final point of the set with a dazzling stroke. All the KE supporters broke into screams and cheers while Theng Wai hugged her team mates with a look of joyous wonder on her face. It felt as though we had already won the championship!

The fourth match started with an ominous bang (literally) as Nihara from KR strode into the court and shut the glass door. Against Nihara’s fiery shots that seemed like cannon balls, our player Janice Lee did not seem to stand very much chance of winning. However, Janice’s opponent seemed to be weaker in executing shots that required her to slice the ball and committed a few unforced errors as a result of this, giving Janice the chance to score a few points. However, victory went to KR for this match despite Janice’s valiant and commendable efforts to keep the game going.

The overall score for the finals was now 2-2 and it was down to the very last match that would determine the IHG squash champions. Our last player in the line up was Irene. The atmosphere in the court was a relatively light one at first as Irene talked and joked with her opponent during the warm-ups. However, it was all business once the match started.

Irene was obviously the stronger and technically skilled player as she left her opponent scrambling for the ball through the match. She won several points by just serving as her opponent simply could not return her brilliant serves that found the sweet spot in the corner of the court. Her opponent was noticeably flustered but managed to pull off a good shot. However, she was still outclassed by Irene who comfortably won all 3 consecutive sets (9-0, 9-1, 9-0) to emerge victorious, securing the championship for KE.

The entire crowd of KE supporters burst into loud screams and cheers as we celebrated the well-deserved Gold award that our girls had fought so hard to achieve. It was truly a moment of pure exhilaration for everyone then, after the past few hours of nail-biting anxiety. Kudos to our fantastic girls’ Squash team for their wonderful efforts! We are truly the one hall to SQUASH them all.

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KE Female Squash Team won GOLD!