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.