Floorball Guys!

After seeing the girls rough it out with one another, it was time for their male counterparts to flex their muscles and show what they are made up of. After a series of warm-up, the first match started and saw the C-towners being pitted against the Eekers.

Block C vs Block E: 3-0

Block C was touted as the hot favorites by the other blocks for the title as they had a disposal of talented players in the midst and they soon showed why when Zhao Hui, easily last year's best performer in IHG for Sheares, drew first blood by doing a spectacular air hook past a hapless block E keeper. While block E did well to hassle the C-towners and tried to play their own style, they had no choice but to succumb to the better team who fluently played the ball around. In the end, the final score was 3-0 to block C.

Block A vs Block D: 0-2

Up next was the Acers against the Deeblockers. Refusing to pale in comparison with the other two blocks, they played with an intensity that could match up with their previous competitors. Alas, block D seemed to be able to stick to their gameplay better and they came out on top 2-0.

Block B vs Block C: 2-1

The next matchup was between the defending champions against the C-towners. Both teams played their hearts out in this intense game and it took a few near-misses before Chang Jie finally broke the deadlock and opened the scoring. Nevertheless, block C stepped up their game and managed to peg one back. The game provided suspense at the highest level as the Beekers managed to take back the lead and both teams ran with all their might till the dying moments.

Block A vs Block E: 0-2

Subsequently, it was the Acers and Eekers' turn to step into the court. The fate of both teams hinged on this game as they needed to win to have a chance to enter the finals. Of course, such a match promised much suspense and grit and they did not disappoint as both teams took the game to each other. Alas, the Eekers managed to come out on top and ran away with the game 2-0.

Block B vs Block D: 3-2

With the other blocks having done their shares, both block B and block D had the fate of going into the finals in their own hands. The intensity was certainly up a notch compared to the previous game and a lot of physical contacts was evident. The tug of war between the two blocks remained closely-contested as block D managed to score one back for every single one which block B scored. Nevertheless, the Beekers proved to have that slight edge above their opponents and won 3-2.

FINALS: Block B vs Block C: 3-2

There was no love lost as these two teams were reunited again in the finals. Having made it to the finals, the two teams played like there was no tomorrow. Win or lose, this was to be the final match. Again, the endless running of the Beekers seemed to put the skilful block C players off. However, this time, they managed to open the scoring first. As promised of a final, it was to be a closely-contested match. Decorated with fully-contested refereeing, the Beekers managed to grab one back and bring themselves back into the game. Alas, their walls did not seem to be strong enough to dam the C-towners' attacks as again they were forced to pick the ball from their goal. Into the later end of the second half, the equilibrium remained in place till finally, a long-distance shot from the Beekers nestled its way into the net, fully instigating the crowd into an uproar and bringing themselves very well back in the game. With the surge of fully-charged adrenaline, they rode on the momentum and scored another goal to take the game's initiative back in their favor. With some dogged defending, the Beekers finally won the game 3-2 to bring back the trophy for the 2nd year running.

Full credits are deserved by all the players who played their hearts out in the floorball game and cheers for everyone!

William

Floorball

Floorball Girls!

Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s. It is a fast paced sport, with limited physical contact allowed. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The game is played indoors on a gym floor, making it a year-round sport at the amateur and professional levels. Today was floorball for girls as everyone gathered in the MPSH for warm-ups. The matches started at 8pm with the girls playing in the usual star system. Results were as follows:

Blk C – Blk E: 0-4
Blk B – Blk D: 0-2
Blk A – Blk E: 2-4
Blk B – Blk C: 3-2
Blk A – Blk D: 1-1

The results meant that Blk D and Blk E were through to the finals which proved to be an exciting one for those watching. As this reporter was away for official IFG duty, in which SDE drew with Medicine 1-1, the only thing I can contribute for this article is the final result in which Blk D beat Blk E 2-1. Cheers!

Blk D beat Blk E 2-1

TRR

Table Tennis

This report will not be fully detailed as there was four games going concurrently on at the same time and writer had and will always have one pair of eyes. Apologies to the games affected. If scores are not correct, please inform me! Thanks.

Monday, 2nd September, 2009, Sheares MPSH - After an intense evening of orange balls ricocheting off everywhere, Block C emerged as undisputed champions with Block A coming in as the first runner-up. The result was no surprise due to the expertise of the IHG seniors in the two blocks. Kudos to the other blocks too for their unyielding spirit and creating a few surprise upsets along the way.

Block A VS Block D
1st Single (Male): 2-0
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-0
2nd Single (Female): 2-0
2nd Mixed Doubles: 0-2
3rd Single (Male): 2-1

4-1

The games started with Block D versus the Block A. Block A, led by their IHG seniors Xue Bin, Peiran and Hui Qin, had no problem in winning the less experienced Block D.Nonetheless, the Deeblockers managed to win one of their mixed doubles with formidable Adeline. The last single duel between IHG players Yu Qian and Peiran was the most exciting game. Despite the three games in hand and a win already for Block A, both sides took the game seriously and gave their all. It was breathtaking to watch the smashes and eventually Peiran managed to withstand Yu Qian's attacks to win the match 2-1. This one point proved to be crucial for Block A later on as it aided the Acers' bid to the finals.

Block B VS Block E
1st Single (Male): 0-2
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-1
2nd Single (Female): 0-2
2nd Mixed Doubles: 2-0
3rd Single (Male): 2-0

3-2

Block A VS Block C
1st Single (Male): 2-1
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-1
2nd Single (Female): 0-2
2nd Mixed Doubles: 0-2
3rd Single (Male): 0-2

2-3

The opening match of this game saw Block A table tennis vice-captain Xue Bin and IVP player Swee Foo facing off with each other. Spurred on by the Acers' cheers, Xue Bin managed to keep his calm and minimized his mistakes and this allowed him to win the game eventually. The 2nd mixed doubles was played by Peiran and table tennis female captain Wanglin against Qiu Ping and the table tennis male captain Hanzen. Peiran and Wanglin proved to have more chemistry as both of them worked seamlessly to defeat their opponents after coming down a set. Alas, these two wins were not enough to guarantee Block A a win as in the remaining sets, the Acers were soon trashed by their stronger opponents C-Towners.

Block D VS Block E

1st Single (Male): 0-2
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-1
2nd Single (Female): 0-2
2nd Mixed Doubles: 2-1
3rd Single (Male): 0-2

2-3

Block B VS Block C
1st Single (Male): 0-2
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-0
2nd Single (Female): 0-2
2nd Mixed Doubles: 2-1
3rd Single (Male): 1-2

2-3

Both with a game win of 3-2 in hand, it was down the do-or-die final decider for this two blocks. The Beekers and the C-Towners gave their hearts out and they were closely matched. In the end, it boiled down to the final set between the 2 IHG players - Captain Hanzen and Yong Zhou. Everyone held their breath in anticipation as the game began. In the first set, Hanzen dominated most of the match and won Yong Zhou with hardly any problem. Initially, the second set seemed to be going the same way as the first set as the points were standing at 10-6 with Yong Zhou trailing. Despite the huge odds, Yong Zhou managed to deny Hanzen of the game point and won 6 points in a row to bring back victory for Block B! It seemed that Yong Zhou was on a row! Hence, for the last set, both players played the game carefully and tried their best to minimized their mistakes. Like the ball, the scores ping-ponged between Block B and Block C and it seemed that the game could go either way. Eventually, Hanzen emerged the victor as he won this closely-contested set. And with both wins, the C-Towners proceeded to the finals.

Finals
Block A VS Block C
1st Single (Male): 2-0
1st Mixed Doubles: 2-0
2nd Single (Female): 0-2
2nd Mixed Doubles: 0-2
3rd Single (Male): 0-2

2-3

Again, it was the rematch of the previously closely fought match between Acers and C-Towners. Unfortunately for the very good-looking Acers, despite the Block A experienced seniors Xue Bin, Peiran and Wang Lin paving the way with their wins, history repeated itself and Block C triumphed over Block A once again. Although the last set was the deciding set, it was a one-sided game as IVP player Swee Foo had no problems fighting off the Block A's freshie Zhou Bin. With this match, Block C is the newly crowned table tennis champions! Congrats!

Christy

PS. It is a mere coincidence that Block C gets first and Block A gets second whenever I am writing the report.

Badminton Guys/Gals

In the first of the series of games being played in our very own Sheares MPSH, rackets sent shuttlecocks flying with endless drops of sweat flowing down some of the most talented badminton players Sheares Hall had to offer. With both guys and girls playing in a best of 5 sets, compromising one singles, two male and female doubles, countless wondrous drop shots and precise high speed smashes the audience and supporters today were in for a feast. The results are as follows.

Eekers vs. Acers
1st Singles: 21-8
1st Doubles Female: 21-8
1st Doubles Male: 21-6
2nd Doubles Female 21-14
2nd Doubles Male: 21-11
In an otherwise lop-sided game, the acers show true strength and courage going against the tough eekers. As the saying goes, as long as you try the best the results doesn’t matter.

C-Towners vs. Beekers
1st Singles: 21-23
1st Doubles Female: 8-21
1st Doubles Male: 10-21
2nd Doubles Female 10-21
2nd Doubles Male: 9-21
The highlight of the 5 matches played was played between C-Towner alumni Wei Cheng going against NUS/Sheares Hall No. 1 Singles player Yu He. Although Yu He was leading by quite a few shots, Wei Cheng show great determination to pull the score to 21-21 deuce, before Yu He showing his true prowess and took the last two points.

Beekers vs. Eekers
4 – 1
With a place in the final on stake, the eekers threw everything that had at the hot favourite’s beekers. However it was not enough as the talented beekers overpowered courage and perseverance with sheer technique and skill. However ex-DOS Calvin Liu manage to salvage some pride for the eekers as he and freshie Alex manage to get one match off the beekers to put a blemish on their perfect record so far.

Acers vs. Deeblockers
1 – 4
The Deeblockers showed no fail in their quest to reach their first finals in years, despite going a match down; they manage to overpower the acers in the remaining games with the handsome seniors Keith Foo and Mr. Sheares Leonard showing the way, not forgetting the pretty Pat Pat and Sheryl.

C-Towners vs. Deeblockers
1 – 4
The final preliminary game was played between the C-Towners and the Deeblockers. Although having lost one game already, both the C-Towners and Eekers had a mathematical chance of going into the finals at the expense of the Deeblockers. However it was not to be, despite Wei Cheng taking a game through the male’s singles, the rest of the line-up the Deeblockers had to offer was too much for the C-towners to handle.

Finals
Beekers vs. Deeblockers
1st Single: 21 – 3
Eyeing victory, the Deeblockers took a gamble and decide to forsake the singles match and threw in a player that stood little chance against the mighty Yu He. Despite being in a David vs. Goliath match, the deeblocker freshie ran himself ragged fighting for all the loose balls and splendid shots of Yu He. Although the match wasn’t really fair to him, he deserves credit for daring to step up and take a shot.
1st Double Female: 21 – 7
The stakes was high, as it was a make or break game as the Deeblockers ladies had to beat the beekers ladies to prevent going two matches down. Yet, with the talent on disposal for the beekers, the experienced duo of the Deeblockers prove no match for the all-conquering beekers ladies led by the upcoming badminton star of Sheares hall Shi Ya as they raced to victory despite resistance from the Deeblockers
1st Doubles Male: 21 – 14
The third game between the two blocks had the twin Keith of block D against Joel and Leo of the beekers. With both team boasting experience in their team, it prove to be an exciting match as the intricate teamwork on show was dazzling and sometimes heart stopping. Both pairs didn’t show much weakness, only superiority in technique outclassing the other at times. However the beekers’ pair proved their mettle with more stability within their ranks compare to the determined Deeblockers. Although it ended 21-14 to the beekers, the score would have be much closer as the format of one set match played had too little time to showcase more scintillating badminton matches.

Santa

Be Part of SMB 09/10!!

Football! a.k.a. Soccer

It’s time for the world’s most popular game, football! The time was 7am as the soccer captain Zhang Ren and last year’s female soccer captain Cynthia made their way down to the SRC in preparations for the upcoming IBG soccer games for both male and female. The weather though wasn’t that kind and it looked like there could be a downpour form the heavens any time soon.

Blk C vs Blk E (Guys & Girls)

Both male and female matches kicked off concurrently with the Blk C girls and guys playing against the Blk E girls and guys. Things started off brightly for the Blk E girls as they got on to a winning start, thrashing their opponents 5-0. Over at the other half of the pitch, a bit of comical defending from Blk C allowed them to concede the 1st goal. A brilliant pass from the Blk C no. 8 was wasted as the strikers lost control of the ball which pretty much summed up the action for 1st half of the game. A tactical change in the 2nd half saw the Korean legend Kim Min Woo taking up his favourite central role. Another fan favourite was the maestro Remy coming back and taking time off from his busy schedule to help the Towner’s in their plight for victory. The subs made an immediate impact as Min Woo’s first attack of the game led to Blk C’s equaliser. Remy combined beautifully with Min Woo with a bit of 1-2 down the side. A hopeful ball from Remy down the left wing found Horace and he nicked it in with his right foot to score the equaliser. The 2nd goal from Blk C came almost immediately as a corner from the right from Remy saw the keeper knocking the ball into his own net.
Final score Blk C - Blk E (Girls) 0-5, and Blk C - Blk E (Guys) 2-1.
Evelyn was proud of her boys and girls.

Shortly after the game, the sky started to open up and it was raining cats and dogs. The match had to be delayed as everyone took shelter under the bus stop. For the girls’ matches, the 1st game was also going to be their last as the rest of their fixtures were postponed until further notice.

Blk C vs Blk B, Blk A vs Blk D

The match-up between Blk C and Blk B was just as intensifying as the 1st. After the downpour, the match continued with both sides fielding their best players for this must win game for Blk C. Blk B drew first blood by scoring the opening goal which forced Blk C to up their gear a notch. A tactical sub saw the ever talented no. 8 being substituted in. With just a few touches of the ball, the Blk C no. 8 saw an opening through Blk B’s defence and slit in a wonderful through ball to Remy. Keeping as cool as a cucumber, Remy rounded pass the keeper and neatly finished with a left foot shot towards goal. The game ended in a 1-1 draw between the 2 sides. Over at the other half of the pitch, Blk A was playing Blk D in a match which resulted in a 2-1 defeat for the Dee Blockers.
Final score Blk B – Blk C: 1-1, Blk A – Blk D: 2-1
Evelyn was even prouder of her boys.

Blk A vs Blk E, Blk B vs Blk D

The last of the group matches saw the C-Towners taking a rest and pitting the rest of the blocks together. The C-Towners watched anxiously from the bus stop across the road as Blk A played against block E. The result had to go Blk E’s way in order for the Towners to qualify for the finals. A moment of joy for the Towners as Blk E scored the opening goal. A win from Blk E would give Blk C the slimmest chance of going through to the finals should Blk B draw with Blk D. But Murphy’s Law set in and Blk A managed to come back from a goal down to beat Blk E 2-1 to earn a place in the finals and Blk B thrashed Blk D 3-0 also booking their place in the finals.
Final Score: Blk A – Blk E: 2-1, Blk B – Blk D: 3-0

Finals! Blk A vs Blk B

The finals started with a drizzle and cold winds blowing. It was almost like a mini blizzard right here in NUS as the two teams battled it out. Blk A looked the more menacing side with Prashant at the back and Joshua controlling the midfield. Shortly after, Joshua single-handedly dribbled past the entire defence and scored the opener. The 2nd goal from Blk A came shortly after Leo lost the ball the in midfield. Blk A capitalised on the mistake and shortly but shortly after Blk B managed to pull one back. The game ended in a 2-1 victory which Blk A well deserved to make them this year’s IBG soccer champions.

TRR

Softball Final!!!

Saturday, 29th August, 2009, SRC Field - The long awaited softball finals between Block A and Block C was held right after the touch rugby carnival! Unfortunately for the Acers, who were tired out from the winning overall championship for touch rugby, they eventually succumbed to the C-Towners with a score of 8-2.

Tiredness was not the only reason why the Acers lost. The last minute (I was only informed at 1am in the morning) finals had repercussions on the Acers' softball line-up as most of the original players could not make it. Hence, resulting in quite a few blur but very cute Block A players on field. This resulted in the 7-0 trashing of the Acers by the very experienced C-Towners led by Min Woo and joined by old alumni Abi in the very first inning.

Of course, being very intelligent people, it wasn't long before Block A got into the groove. Led by Block A very own star player Ashwin, they were able to reverse the second inning into Block A's favor with a win of 1-0.

Alas, despite the Acers' gallant attempts, it was a matter of too little too late as they could not overturn the score in the third and last inning which resulted in a draw of 1-1. Abishek proved why he was godlike as he knocked a solo home run which he comfortably ran through. With this, Block C had sealed the game and were crowned the IBG champions for this year. Congrats!

Nonetheless, the after-game was even more exciting. The friendly Acers and C-Towners had decided to play on for fun with some of the weirdest things happening:

1. Caoyang completing a homerun while hopping on his not injured foot (Please take care and recover soon! What with Block A and injured ankles anyway?)
2. Min Woo batting for Block A and allowing Block A to earn quite a few points
3. Jason Lau changing gender just to bat
4. Caoyang and Jason Lau hugging each other very very happily (Don't ask me why)

And many many other events which shall not be recorded.

Oh well, it was fun. =)

Christy

PS. This is an objective report. Any biasness detected is simply due to your subjective point of view.

Touchhhh!!!

In contrast to the previous year's touch rugby competition which was marred by a heavy rain, this year's competition took place on a clear day brightened by a sweltering hot sun. The tournament was to be played in a carnival style where every block would compete against all the other blocks and the victor would be determined through the number of wins, draws and losses. When all the blocks had arrived, the horn then signalled the start of the first match.

Male:

A vs B: 2-1

The first match promised to be an intense and closely-contested match between the two blocks which were touted as favorites for the title. In this 'title-decider' match, the two blocks snapped at each other and individual brilliances as well as flashes of good teamwork could be seen. After two long halves which felt like eternity to both teams, block A came out on top despite block B having scored first through Leo. Nevertheless, the match ended with block A grabbing a 2-1 victory.

For all the other matches, it was impossible to account for every single action as the guys' and girls' matches were occurring simultaneously and, unfortunately, this poor writer only has 2 eyes to observe the competition. As such, the rest of the results are as written below:

A vs C: 2-0

A vs D: 4-1

A vs E: 2-0

Being the last match of the game, it was a match on which the fate of the champion title hinges. As block B had won their previous match against block C and secured 4 wins, it was a do-or-die match for the Acers as they had to win the game in order to secure the title. Nevertheless, they proved that they were up for the challenge and had the grit to play to their own tempo and with the aid of Dexter (a quite-old alumni =p), they finally took the game with a score of 2-0, thus ending their long wait for the title.

B vs C: 4-0

This was the second last game in the series and the Beekers had to win in order to ensure that they were still in the title race. Alas, they did not disappoint as they grabbed the game's initiative and went on a scoring rampage, taking the game 4-0 and keeping the pressure up on the Acers as they had to win their last game lest the Beekers would be crowned champions instead.

B vs D: 1-0

B vs E: 2-0

C vs D: 0-1

C vs E: 2-2

D vs E: 2-2

Female:

A vs B: 2-1

The Acers had to win this game in order to keep their title hopes alive and they truly delivered. Despite the closely-contested match, they kept their composure and took the game 2 to 1, thus keeping the pressure up on the Deeblockers till the last moment as they had to win or draw their last game in order to obtain the title.

A vs C: 2-0

A vs D: 0-1

A vs E: 4-1

Despite the scoreline seeming to be one-sided, block E managed to score one back where Xin Yi, the previous block E blockhead, dived and scored a marvellous try! Cheers for Xin Yi! (I was told to write this by the *ahem* person involved)

B vs C: 0-1

B vs D: 0-1

This was the title-decider match as the Deeblockers have to at least score a draw lest the Acers would snatch the title away from them. On the other hand, being the last match of the competition, the Beekers handed them a tough fight. Nevertheless, the Deeblocker girls showed grit and determination and finally won the game 1-0 and brought the well-deserved title back.

B vs E: 0-0

C vs D: 0-3

Being the opening match for the female tournament, eyes were on the 2 blocks to set the standards for the rest of the games. Perhaps, due to nerves or other factors, the block C players seemed to be unfamiliar with the rules and this was capitalised upon by the veteran block D players. Gilyn took advantage of the temporary confusion in the block C ranks and opened the scoring by running through and making the first try. In the same manner, block D then took the game 2 to 0.

C vs E: 1-3

D vs E: 2-0

All in all, it was a wonderful Saturday performance for all the blocks with a lot of hopeful players in tow. Truly, it was heart-warming to see all the supporters coming down to cheer their blockmates on despite it being the weekend. Results are really secondary as long as everyone has their try at the sport and enjoy playing together. The commentary for the matches are really chosen randomly and written for the exciting, crucial moments. Hence, my greatest apologies again for the other matches without the details written in. Ciao and tune in again for all the other games!

William

HandBall Females

The ladies had the honour of getting the ball rolling for the first leg of the handball IBG 0910 competition with the guys playing only on Sunday. To those who weren’t around today, it is such a pity as the girls put up a great show of talent and brilliance. To many of those who have never experience playing handball or much less heard of the sport, it was indeed an eye-opener to see the girls playing with smooth rhythm and cohesive teamwork. The female eekers however prove unstoppable once again today, continuing their hot streak of wins.

Eekers vs. Deeblockers
HT: 3 – 0
FT: 4 – 1

Deeblockers vs. C-Towners
HT: 1 – 2
FT: 2 – 4

Eekers vs. Beekers
HT: 0 – 2
FT: 2 – 2
SD: 3 – 2

Finals
C-Towners vs. Eekers
HT: 1 – 4
FT: 2 – 4

With the C-Towners overcoming the Deeblockers in the preliminaries, and the eekers and their heartbreaking defeat of the beekers, they faced up once again in the finals of the female handball competition, a repeat of the basketball finals. Lead by their respective alumni YiYing and YingShi, both teams ooze experience and exuberance from the freshies involved. Both side started slowly as pot shots was taken but not much danger threatened the respective goalies. However it was the eekers first off the blocks and racing to 3 – 0 lead in a flash with Amelia and YingShi quickly scoring goals leaving the C-Towners in their trails. However YiYing showed amazing footwork and shotpower after going pass the whole eekers’ defence, blazing a shot into the bottom right corner of the keeper NingXi leaving her no chance at all. The closing seconds however allowed Amelia to run the full length of the court with much opposition and scoring pass the C-Towners’ goalie. With the teams going into halftime, pep talks were heard at the sidelines, with both teams still within a shout of the championship.The second half was a tighter affair with the goalies proving their individual worth to the team, as both the eekers’ keeper and C-Towners’ keepers proving hard to beat on several occasions. But the C-Towners got the last goal of the game in the closing moments, yet it was a little too late, but full marks for their fighting spirit to chase the game back. The female eekers RED hot streak continues, whether it will end, till tomorrow we will know.

Santa

Volleyball

IBG 0910 continues on with volleyball being the main event today. With storm clouds looming over the horizon as the sun is nowhere to be seen in the early evening, shearites continue to stream into the volleyball courts with enthusiasm for the upcoming spectacle. It was not all skill and competition, but even more unforgettable experiences and memories being forged between the shearites gather at the court. The result of the night however still did matter, with the beekers taking the male championship after an enthralling encounter with the acers, and the female eekers triumphing in a yo-yo match against the beekers.

Guys Results
Eekers vs. Beekers
15 – 12. 11 – 15, 15 – 9

C-towners vs. Deeblockers
7 – 15, 14 – 16

Eekers vs. Acers
10 – 15, 15 – 10, 10 – 15

Deeblockers vs. Beekers
0 – 15, 7 – 15

C-towners vs. Acers
6 – 15, 6 – 15

Finals
Acers vs. Beekers
20 – 25, 25 – 16. 13 – 15

The match began with at frantic pace with the acers playing safe and hitting the ball over safely for most of the opening exchanges and drawing out mistakes from the beekers. However the beekers showed more assured handling of the ball, allowing them to break away and take the set at 25 – 20. The second set however did not see the continuation of the beekers’ hot streak, as the acers began to play with more confidence, as the seniors in the team began to assert themselves in the game with Dalun spectacularly spiking the ball at every asking. The acers led from the start till the end in this set and took it at 25 – 16. Into the last and final set, fatigue started to show on the faces of the players; however it was the grit and determination within themselves, and not forgetting the supporters on the sidelines that gave them the courage to fight on. With the points see-sawing between both teams till a stage of 12 – 12, it was turn for Jeremy of the beekers to serve. Showing conviction and belief in himself to make for some earlier errors, he hit 3 serves straight to take the final score at 15 – 13 leaving no chance for the acers who fought with all their might.

Girls results
Eekers vs. Beekers
11 – 15, 12 – 15

C-towners vs. Deeblockers
13 – 15, 8 – 15

Eekers vs. Acers
15 – 0, 15 – 3

Deeblockers vs. Beekers
6 – 15, 11 – 15

C-towners vs. Acers
15 – 9, 17 – 15

Finals
Eekers vs. Beekers
25 – 13, 24 – 26, 15 – 10

In a rematch of the preliminaries, eekers faced off with beekers once again. The long standing feud behind this two teams go way back, with the beekers beating the eekers in last year’s final. However the result was not as clear cut as it was this time around, with alumni Isabella back, the eekers’ team was given a much needed boost to prevent a similar result of the preliminaries. Eekers got off the tracks the quickest and was dominant from start to finish in the first set, with the beekers showing no response to the combination between volleyball captain Chermaine and Isabella. However the match took a turn with the beekers fighting back hard on the second set racing off to a 23 – 15 lead. However it was not a easy victory for the beekers, as the eekers showed immense determination and with Ke Er serving strongly, eekers manage to claw back to 24 – 24 stalemate. However the beekers were never going to let go of this set, and finished strongly at 26 – 24 after two wonderful plays. Going into the last set, both set of supporters and players smell of eagerness and anticipation, as what would the final result be. The two teams played brilliantly towards a 6 – 6 stalemate at the halfway point; however eekers found their winning rhythm once again with the team playing wonderful volleyball showing no weakness all of a sudden. Racing to a 10 – 6 lead, they never look back and close up with a 15 – 10 victory preventing a beekers’ clean sweep of today’s event.

Cheers once again to all the teams, and also supporters who made the gruelling journey down to SRC to support their fellow blockmates and the sport. Volleyball is one of Sheares Hall’s niche sport, so let us look forward to IHG and see our hall in action against the other halls as the best of all the blocks come together and form One Team Sheares.

Santa

SEPAK TAKRAW!

SEPAK TAKRAW!
Sepak takraw had taken place at the same time as netball (which BLK C won btw), so not many supporters had come down to the MPSH to support this awesome sport. Though not a common sport in Singapore, sepak takraw is mainly played by the Malays but is enjoyed just as much right here in NUS as well as in the halls. Sepak takraw, or kick volleyball is a sport native to Southeast Asia, resembling volleyball, except that it uses a rattan ball and only allows players to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. It is a popular sport in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.

Acers vs Eekers, C-Towners vs Beekers

Two matches took place concurrently. Both matches had their own individual moments of brilliance but for because this writer took part in one of them this section is mostly going to be about the match between the Towners and the Beekers. The match started off with the Towners leading the Beekers by 10-5. But moments of poor performances by the Towners led to their downfall. The turning point came when the Towners lost their momentum and eventually allowed their lead to be cut drastically which resulted in them losing the their 1st set. The 2nd set saw the Beekers controlling most of the game and they beat the Towners easily. Being down 2 sets, the last game saw the Towners just having a good time as they eventually lost out to the Beekers on the last set. Over at the other side, a strong looking Acers team saw them winning all three of their sets against the Eekers. So the final results were as follows:
Blk A – Blk E : 21-6, 21-15, 21-12 (3-0)
Blk B – Blk C : 21-18, 25-23, 21-10 (3-0)
Evelyn, the new blockhead, I mean Block Head, is proud of block C.

Dee Blockers vs Eekers, C-Towners vs Acers

The tournament favourites Dee Blockers were up against the Eekers in their 1st encounter of the evening. They had no problem in beating the opposition as they fielded their strongest players against the Eekers in Alvin, Wei Song and Jun Ming. They went on to win all of their 3 sets. The other court saw the Towners playing against eventual finalists the Acers. Thought they put up a good fight, the Towners themselves saw them bowing out to a much stronger Acers team. They eventual results were:
Blk D vs Blk E : 21-12, 21-5, 21-18 (3-0)
Blk A vs Blk C : 14-21, 21-8, 21-9 (2-1)
Evelyn is very proud of block C.

Dee Blockers vs Beekers

This was the deciding match in which the winners would eventually go on to reach the finals. The crowd started coming in as the netball game was over and supporters from both blocks starting filling the MPSH. The 1st match was between the best teams of both sides. The match was as intense as the crowd was cheering for their blocks to win. The takraw captain, Joel from block B put up an awe inspiring performance against the Dee Blockers but they were too strong for the Beekers. They lost out to them and eventually lost the other 2 sets as well. So it was on to the finals for block D. Final score:
Blk B – Blk D : 13-21, 16-21, 5 -21 (0-3)

Finals! Blk A vs Blk D

After a long and tiring journey, it was finally, well, the finals. The sea of yellow was equaled by the sea of white as the Acers took on the Dee Blockers in the final round of the competition. The winners of this match would go on to become the champions of Sepak Takraw and would enjoy bragging rights for the rest of the year until the next IBG. The most exciting of the finals came in the 1st game where the strongest players pitted against each other. The awesome threesome of Alvin, Wei Song and Jun Ming started against the Acers. Moments of brilliant individual performances by Da Lun from block A saw the game being very tight as both teams were performing equally well. Eventually though, the Acers were overwhelmed by a series of excellent headers by Alvin and the Dee Blockers took the game 21-18. The 2nd set saw the Dee Blockers thrashing their opponents 21-6 and they went on to become champions of takraw, well at least for the coming year.

On a stormy rainy night....
TRR

Netball

Wednesday, 24th August, 2009, SRC Courts - Despite the abrupt end to today netball IBG due to the rain and lightning, the C-Towners emerged victorious after winning one and three quarters game. The Acers did great too, coming in second runner-up due to goal difference over the Eekers (third place). Though not winners but still just as admirable for their spirit, the Deeblockers came in 4th and the Beekers last.

For the first match of the day, Block D proved to be no match for Block E as they towered over the Deeblockers and quickly made mincemeat of them. Still, Block D persevered on till the last second and created numerous chances for themselves. Alas, eventually the game still ended 12-5 in Block E's favor as the Eekers had superior skills and techniques.

Next up was the game between the friendly neighbors, Acers and Beekers. Perhaps due to the lack of experience in netball for Block B, they soon suffered a 8-1 defeat at the hands of the Acers. It was admirable that the Beekers showed no signs of giving up and strived to score. Unfortunately for Beekers, they soon lost to the better and stronger team.

Fresh from the previous win, the Eekers was looking forward to another victory over the C-Towners. Nonetheless, once the game started, it was evident that it was not going to be easy for the Eekers. True enough, the attacking duo of the GS and GA of Block C troubled the Eekers. And despite the countless attempts to stop them, it was to no avail. Block E eventually succumbbed to a 12-6 defeat to the C-Towners.

It was now the do-or-die match for Block D and Block B. Having lost in their previous game, they would have to win this game with a huge margin to try to get into the finals. Both blocks were going all out for a win. Sadly for the Beekers due to some bimbotic but very cute moments, they were soon trailing behind the Deebeekers. The Deebeekers held on to their lead and soon won the game 6-2. Nevertheless, the goal margin was not big enough for the Deebeekers to make it into the finals.

The last match of the day, as the rest was cancelled due to rain, was the exciting match between Acers and C-Towners. Initially, the Acers were thrown into confusion at the fast and hard game pace of the C-Towners. However, it was not long before the prettiest Acers started to pick up momentum and was soon winning back points gradually. Three quarters into the game, the rain started to drizzle. Yet, all the girls remained on court and were determined to fight for the win. It was heartwarming to see them gunning for the win. It was unlucky that the weather seemed to have some other plans. In the end, the game had to be called off as the rain was simply too heavy. The unfinished game stood at the score of 11-6 and that allowed the C-Towners to be crowned champions with the Acers coming in second.

Congratulations to all the winners and kudos to the supporters! It was a fun evening for checking out all the gorgeous girls Sheares Hall had to offer. In fact, I couldn't stop hearing all the gushes of "I like her legs!" and "She is so graceful!" from the fellow SMB members sitting next to me. And I will have to say - I concur.

Christy

PS. All biasness in this report is just a figment of your imagination.

Basketball Guys + Girls

In an otherwise fine day for basketball, the rain had threatened to call SH IBG basketball to a halt on this very chilly and windy day. However the atmosphere on the courts was much unlike the cold weather, with each blocks cheering their hearts out, and burning passion show on the faces on the respective block Basketballers. With the girls and guys match played concurrently, there non-stop pulsating action on the courts as the blocks pit their skills on the court. As the eekers walk away happy on this very day with both the guys and girls coming in champions, special mention must be given to all this very enthusiastic blocks and players who gave it their all throughout the matches played today. It was truly a shearites’ event and the glory belongs to everyone and not just a single block.


Girls’ games
E vs. D
HT score: 2 - 14
FT score: 6 - 24
Despite the disparity in score, the deeblockers’ girls on court show immense fighting spirit in the game, never once letting their heads hang low. They applied pressure on the female eekers from the very start of the first whistle. However the star of the show came from our very own ex-sportswomen of the year last year Yi Feng who was unstoppable in the proceedings showing her credentials and experience on court.
C vs. A
FT score: 30 - 6
The acers and c-towners were next on the courts, playing out tough defence and lethal offense from the very start. The towering girls of the c-towners prove too much for the acers as they easily overpowered their way through in a very flattering scoreline, yet the acers was tough mentally and never really gave in despite all the pressure.

D vs. B
HT score: 4 – 10
FT score 12 – 12In a very exciting game from start to end, the deeblocers and beekers was relentless in their quest for dominance as the deeblocks need a win to stay in competition for a place in the finals, and the beekers wanting to give a good account for their first game. The beekers were ruthless in the first half, knocking down basket after basket with chuanting showing the way, however in the second half, the lion heart spirit of the deeblockers prove irresistible as they clawed their way back to contention and almost came away with a comeback victory. It was not to be but both blocks played their hearts out.

A vs. B
FT score: 20 – 8
With pride and possibly still a slot for the finals, both teams gave it their all. However exhaustion play a major factor in this match, as the beekers haven’t really recover from their previous game, and the fresh and raring to go acers gave them a tough fight. In the end, the acers prevail as the tired troops for the beekers fought till the very end.

C vs. E
FT score: 20 – 11
In the battle between the two hot favourites, the c-towners and eekers put up a good show for the respective set of supporters. The towering c-towners versus the skilful eekers, a battle of epic proportion ensue. Both teams were pretty close in the opening stages; however the eekers show more steel and determination in the closing minutes with zhiying and yifeng combining well for the last few baskets bring the game to an end.

Finals
C vs. E
FT score – 20 – 8As the final is the repeat of the final preliminary game, it pits the towering c-towners vs. the eekers once again. Despite the previous game defeat, the c-towners were pretty much determined to give a better account of themselves this time. They came out much stronger than before, however the familiar duo manage to subdue the rest of the c-towner team after much hustling and tough running between the both teams. The result ended again in the eekers favour, however truly the c-towners gave the holders of the IBG female basketball a decent scare before fading away.


Guys’ match
A vs. B
HT score: 5 – 12
FT score: 13 – 30
On the guy’s side of the court, the acers and beekers were the first to face off. It might seem a pretty straight forward affair at the start, as rongtzu (beeker alumni) needed no time to start terrorizing the defences of the acers. The acers just had no answer to him, with Jin Wei also contributing to the beekers’ cause of searching for lots of baskets. The match was over by the time it was half time as with a 7 point lead, the pressure was off the beekers as they slowly ease away to a their victory.

D vs. E
FT score: 22-23
In a rematch of last year’s final, the deeblockers were first off the blocks scoring consecutive basket which the eekers had no answers to. As the game drag on, the combination of Li jing, Zhi Bin and Yeow Lin consistently tore through the ranks of the eekers’ defence. The half ended pretty much in their favour as the eekers trail by 5 at the turn. Showing resilience and strength in numbers, the eekers finally made their numerical advantage in terms of the bench players coming on to provide fresher legs on the court. With the combined efforts Nicholas Tan and Darren Chua, the score was brought closer as the eekers slowly edge themselves closer to the deeblockers after a run of 5-0. Eekers smell blood going into the last minute, as once they took the lead, they never look back despite making a schoolboy error underneath the basket at a point of time.

C vs. A
HT score: 3 – 2
FT score 7 – 5
The c-towners were the fresher of both teams, as the acers had a previous game before. The fatigue started to show in the acers’ faces, but they ran hard and long, still they little progress in terms of basket count. The c-towners too were made to work for their points as the acers defended valiantly and restricted their scoring opportunities. The end result was in the c-towners’ favour as the acers went out of the competition rueing the possible victory.

D vs. B
HT score: 10 – 15
FT score: 22 – 24
In a do or die match for the deeblockers, they must beat the beekers to stand a chance to have a shot of retaining their championship of last year. With the game restarting after problematic weather, and failing flood lights in the midst of the game, the beekers started strongly with the talismanic alumni rongtzu blitzing past all who dare to stand against him. The beekers manage to stretch to a comfortable 5 point lead by the turn. The deeblockers were not down and out thought, with the introduction of Kaiwen, their spirits were rejuvenated and took the game to the beekers. With rongtzu going out for a rest, the match hit a standstill at 22-22. However the strong hearted deeblockers failed at the last asking, as their failed to convert their chance as the beekers had the last laught scoring the last basket of the day winning the match and the chance of getting the IBG male championship.
C vs. E
HT score: 4 – 7
FT score 7 – 19
With both sides coming into this game with a win, it became a winner takes all situation. Eekers made a change to all 5 starting players with zhicao coming in place of Nicholas. The match started pretty slowly as both sides struggle to convert their baskets. Both sides gave each other a tough game from the start till the half time break with the difference of only 3 points. However the numerical advantage of the eekers prove the trump card they had, with 10 players rotating in and out, the fresher legs and hot scoring form of zhicao proved to be the downfall of the c-towners as the eekers stretch their lead and finished the game off.

Finals
B vs. E
HT score: 12 – 11
FT score: 14 – 31
In the final game of the night being played in near darkness as the floodlights proved unstable and faulty, most of the shearites had left the SRC with the beekers and eekers left behind to do the final battle. Losing their talisman rongtzu to injury from the previous game,no one will forgive the beekers if they decided to give up. However they did not and took the fight all the way to the eekers doorstep and score consecutive baskets and the eekers team totally in a mess after making a series of turnovers. However as the half draw to a close, it became a pretty close fight as both teams showed no hesitation to fight for any of the loose balls. After the half it was a different story as again, numerical advantage that the eekers had the whole night proved to be more effective than skills and technique. Using a wide array of substitutes, the eekers manage to close down the beekers restricting them to half chances with they themselves proving ruthless at the other end of the court. The final score though pretty much flattered the eekers, but kudos to the supporter that stayed back and support their respective teams, and the helpers for the event.

Thanks to all the shearites that came down to make this IBG event a successful one despite the weather not favouring us. Till tomorrow, everyone lives to fight again. Not for the championship but for the spirit and experience and friendship that we build by playing together and against each other.

Santa

Track!

Once again it’s the annual IBG and the 2nd event of the friendly competition was track and field. Well it was more of track as there weren’t any field events. The event took place at the SRC and there were supporters from their respective blocks in their native colours. The competition kicked off at 6pm and Shearites from their individual blocks were briefed by the track and field captain, Ivan, about their respective events.

4 X 100m (Girls)

The first race of the day was the 4 by 100m girls’ relay. Tension mounted on the faces of the runners as they prepared for their races. Block C’s Sharon started off with a bang. However, their 3rd runner, Evelyn, fell down just after passing on the baton. How embarrassing that must have been for her. But no worries, she is still well loved by her blockJ. The girls started off with just about being even until towards the end where block E’s Yi Feng clinched victory by crossing the finishing line at least 10 m ahead of everyone else.

4 X 100 (Men)

Next up was the 4 by 100m men’s relay. As the raced kicked off, all attention was focused on block C’s very own Usain Bolt, or should I say, Oliver Bolt. Oliver raced to the front of the pack like lightning, as described by one of the spectators. “WOW! For a moment I thought I saw the flash!” came a cry from the crowd. He raced past everyone else to hand over the baton to the track captain Ivan who managed to maintain the lead. However, eventually block C lost the lead to block D and came in a close 2nd instead.

4 X 400M (Girls)

The third race of the day was the 4 by 400m girls. Block D took the lead with the Acers closely behind followed by the Eekers. At the 300m mark, the Eekers and C-Towners lead the pack as they were evenly matched. After the baton was passed, the Acers took the lead with the Eekers overtaking the Dee Blockers and the Towners in 4th with Beakers in the last position. From then on, there wasn’t really much action as eventually the Acers swept up 1st place with the Eekers in 2nd and the Dee Blockers in 3rd.

4 X 400M (Men)

This 4th race was the most highly anticipated event where all eyes were on star runner Oliver Bolt. And to everyone’s expectation, he did not let the crowd down. He blasted his way past the other blocks at a blistering pace and at the 200m mark, he even seemed to speed up! Others were left in a trail of his dust. Oliver gave block C the lead which they never gave up all the way until the finish line. In an interview with the babes of block C, here’s what some of them had to say about their star runner:
“WOW he is so zai and shuai!”
“Superfast! Imba.”
“Ownage!”
Looks like we have a star runner in our arsenal. We will have to unleash him in the upcoming IHG.

Medley

The last and final event for the day was the mixed medley in which both the girls and the guys took part in. Block D clinched 1st place with the Eekers in 2nd and Beakers in 3rd. With that congratulations to all the winners of the races and I hope that every single Shearite who went down and support today had fun. Have a nice day!:)

TRR

Softball

Sunday, 23 August, 2009, SRC Field - Unlike yesterday scorching heat, the second day of IBG started with a downpour. Nonetheless, the rain did not dampen the enthusiasm Sheares Hall had for IBG. Once the rain subsided to a slight drizzle, IBG softball was on again!

Softball was a pretty new sport to most of the participants and there was loads of shouting and confusion on field. Still, it was great to see everyone playing their hearts out and having fun at the same time. The results are as follows for the preliminaries:

A - D : 9 - 3
B - E : 3 - 2
E - D : 3 - 2
C - B : 5 - 1
A - C : 9 - 8

The second last game of the day was a nail-biter between block A and C which block A narrowly won by a point. Eventually, it did not matter as both block A and C were to meet in the finals again after a short 5 minutes break.

Unfortunately, due to the weather delay, the softball finals between block A and C had to be suspended and adjourned to another day as it was way too dark to see anything. Till the finals then!

Christy

Swimming

A hot, sunny afternoon paves the way and serves as a curtain-raiser for the opening event of IBG 09/10, swimming. Despite the sweltering heat, the 5 blocks stood undaunted and seemed to be ready to bare their fangs at one another. In the midst of the cheering of the various blocks, the guys took their positions at the starting line as they prepared for the first race which was 4x50 Men's Freestyle.

4x50 Men's Freestyle

The guys each seemed to glide through the water with ease and some prospective freshies could be spotted for the IHG team. Nevertheless, the final result for the race stood at:

1. E
2. A
3. D
4. C
5. B

4x50 Women's Freestyle

Next up was the women's freestyle. However, due to the unprecedented lack of swimmers on the part of block B, it was only a race between 4 blocks. Still, the race had its own appeal too as compared to the guys' race and the final result stood at:

1. E
2. C
3. D
4. A

4x50 Men's Breast Stroke

Following the women's freestyle, the 4x50 men's breast stroke was up next. While the event was not as fast-paced as the freestyle counterpart, it was still an exciting match to watch and the final result stood at:

1. A
2. E
3. C
4. D
5. B

4x50 Women's Breast Stroke

Next up, before the final medley event was the women's breast stroke and again, due to the lack of swimmers for block B, the race was a four-block event. Finally, the result came out as:

1. C
2. E
3. D
4. A

Medley

Last but not least, the final event of the day, the medley, consists of a mix of men and women swimming the back stroke, breast stroke, butterfly stroke and freestyle in the specified order respectively. Of course, being the final event of the day, plenty of promise and excitement seemed to be in store and the swimmers did not disappoint. While the gap in speed was clear between the top 3 blocks and the last 2, we were still treated to a last-gasp show as block B showed reasonable determination and grit despite their previous setbacks and lack of numbers as they almost caught up to the block D swimmers in the last lap. Alas, it was not meant to be as they succumbed and the final result came out as:

1. E
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. B

Taking into account the 4x50 men's freestyle, breast stroke and medley, the total points were tabulated and the overall result for guys was:

1. E

2. A

3. C

4. D

5. B

Taking into account the 4x50 women's freestyle, breast stroke and medley, the total points were tabulated and the overall result for girls was:
1. E
2. C

3. A and D
4. B

With that, the swimming event came to a close and much more excitement lies in store for the future events. Be sure to follow up and cheer your various blocks through all the other events! Do come for softball tomorrow in what promises to be an exciting clash of the five blocks!

Written by William

Inter Block Games - The Prelude

Warmest greetings to all Shearites from the Sports Management Board! The annually held IBG is here yet again! After the curtains were recently drawn on SWOC and RAG, the IBG would be the next event in line in what we hope would be an exciting year ahead in your stay in Sheares Hall. While the scale of the IBG would pale in comparison with the Inter Hall Games, rest assured that the euphoria and excitement involved, as well as the intensity, would certainly match up with the latter in what would be a much-anticipated clash of skills between the five blocks. That said, the IBG would not be something unfamiliar for the seniors. Nevertheless, for the sake of the freshmen who might be a little lost as to what the IBG is, right below would be a writeup regarding the significance of the IBG.

THE INTER BLOCK GAMES

The IBG serves as a stage mainly where the freshmen would be exposed to the various sports that they may not have come across before. Basically, the five blocks would be pitted against one another within a span of two weeks in many different sports such as soccer and basketball, albeit not including all the 29 sports that are contested in IHG. There are usually two general formats: the carnival style where all the different blocks would play against one another, and the elimination style where the competition would start from the group stage and proceed to the finals. A complete list of all the different sports is available under the scoreboard for both the male and female sports.

SOME SENIOR'S RANTING

As a senior, I greatly urge all freshmen to take part and try out all the different sports, be it familiar sports like soccer or new sports such as sepak takraw and touch rugby. Not only can this serve as a platform for you to bond and gel together with your blockmates, you can also flaunt off you skills or discover the hidden talents or passion that you may have for the different sports. Sports has always been known to bring people closer together as they play within a team. A chance to exercise, know more friends and have fun - it is essentially killing three birds with a stone. Hence, what are you waiting for? Contact your respective sports secretary or assigned freshmen captains! We will see you when the curtains are raised on the day itself.

As a final note, the previous IBG champions were block B for the 08/09 year. Would they be able to retain their title? Or would they fall from glory and allow the other blocks to bring back the coveted trophy this year. Tune in to find out!

PS: IBG opening is on tomorrow. Please do come and support us!

Written by William