It was never going to be easy flying into New Pioneers territory at CCAB, Evans Road and hoping to do damage. The 'terrain' was unfavourable and New Pioneers' defences were on full alert.

B-17 (plane model, not his age) Flying Fortress 'B'omber, Daryle Teng (DT), went on first against Pioneers veteran, Tan Kok Kiang (TKK), to do battle for old-timers' sake. It was a slow, methodical process with rallies lasting up to 3 strokes on average. The scoring was fast, but not so the play. However, the first set had its moments of excitement when our own B-17 DT, despite lack of practice, matched TKK point for point till 6-6 and then it looked all over when TKK surged ahead to game point at 10-6. Then suddenly, the legendary fight-back exploded from DT with 4 successive points through some fine touches for which he is renowned, to force deuce. However, that effort must have used up the remaining fossil fuel in DT's B-17 and TKK snatched the crucial 2 points needed to seal set #1 by a (uh) 'breath-taking' (both players panting heavily by then) 12-10. The pattern of play continued unchanged through the next 2 sets (you serve, I drop, you give up. You serve, I drop, you return, I give up). TKK, about half a head taller than DT, just had that additional reach to put away shots and ran home (well, not really) 11-9, 11-8 in these 2 sets.  New Pioneers 1    UCSC 0

The UCSC 'B'ombers flew their second successful sortie of their NSL B-grade campaign, this time at SLF versus SCC's Team 1. It was a match with a difference as the SCC1 team had 3 (past & present) UCSC-sians amongst their 4 representatives which prompted Michael Tan to joke that SCC No. 1, Chew Kok Wye, was the evening's guest player at a UCSC social squash night. However, those who know Brian Van Ginkel, James McCarthy and Daryl Arnold, also know that they always give their all, regardless of whom they play. It was to be no stroll in the park ... And it wasn't!

The first tie was between veteran, Michael Tan, against ex-UCSC, James McCarthy. Perhaps James had been too long away from UCSC and no longer accustomed to the veteran UCSC-sian's on-court trickery. James was on several occasions, wrong-footed by Michael's trade mark wrist-flicks despite Daryl Arnold's pre-match advice to James, "Don't move in too soon. Wait for Michael to play his shots". Both players were a little tentative in the 1st set which progressed slowly until 5-4 (in favor of Michael) when Michael strung together several winners to lead 9-5. Then it was James' turn to put together a few great shots to narrow the deficit to 8-9, then 9-10 before Michael managed to just edge home by 11-9. The second set was unexpectedly easier for Michael from 4-4, as James began to make several unforced errors to aid Michael's cause allowing the latter to ease into the 3rd set by 11-5. Chew Kok Wye's advice during the break appeared to be working as James suddenly dug in stubbornly in the 3rd set and matched Michael point for point until 8-8 when a couple of errors from Michael gave James game-point at 10-8. It looked like a 4th set but Michael clawed back two winners to force deuce. The match ended a little anti-climatically with James making two completely unforced errors with two successive volleys into the tin to allow Michael to sneak away with a 13-11 score for a flattering 3-0 victory.

The 2nd tie was already underway in the adjacent court between UCSC-SCC English terrier, Daryl Arnold, against 'B'omber Joshua Wong, perhaps UCSC's most consistent performer (so far) this season in both the A and B grades. Joshua promptly continued that fine record with a 11-7 win in the 1st set, but not before enduring a determined containment spell till 4-4 from the battling Englishman. The 2nd set started innoucously enough with Joshua strolling to a 2-0 lead. Did that bother Daryl? Apparently not. Paying scant respect for Joshua's applaudable record, or perhaps thriving on the challenge of being the under-dog (terrier, remember?), Daryl proceeded to hustle and bustle in his usual 'give-it-all' approach to string together an incredible 10 points in one service-hand to race away to 10-2 game-point in the 2nd set. At that point (no pun intended), Joshua did a 'Daryl Arnold' to score 8 consecutive points to force deuce. But Daryl Arnold wasn't about to let this one slip away after coming so-o-o-o close. He closed out the set deservingly by 13-11, but what a battle in the second which had spectators suffering palpitations but asking for more. Breath-taking! That loss also underscored Joshua's track record for having let every 2nd set slip away in the NSL, so far. The 3rd set saw the close battle continue until about 6-5 in favor of Joshua before the younger player's better consistency, pace and power began to tell. Joshua took the 3rd by 11-7 as the errors off the Daryl-forehand began to multiply. The 4th and final set was a little anti-climactic as a spent and profusely perspiring (as is normal of Mr. Arnold) Daryl capitulated in double quick time for Joshua to romp home by 11-1 for a 3-1 victory.

Next to take to the courts simultaneously, were the two Jonathans. Captain Jon Cheu faced the only non-UCSCsian of the evening, Chew Kok Wye, and Jon Soh took on ex-UCSCsian, 'Kom' Brian Van Ginkel ('Kom' means 'Thunderbolt' in Afrikaans or Taal, the official language of South Africa).

We focus first on Jon Cheu vs. Kok Wye because the story is shorter. 5,1,1.... No, that's not the emergency number of some little known country. Those were the scores by which Jon won by. Kok Wye used to be a top junior and owns some lovely touches. He was however, unable to display those touches very often due to Jon Cheu's sheer pace. Kok Wye was left complaining (friendly ones, of course) about Jon's illegal speeding, with shots so low and hard that these bounced twice before they reached Kok Wye at the 'T'! Jon will do well to avoid such 'malpractice' in the return match, especially after finding out that Kok Wye is a lawyer.

And now, the other Jon. If one Jon's match was short, the other one was 'Soh' long. Once upon a time and in the first set .... The first match as expected, was a slug-fest with both players generating enough energy to light the courts without Singapore Power. Each took turns to lead by 2 points and it was like that before the war of attrition ended with 'Kom' Brian drawing first blood at 14-12. The 2nd set saw the same ball-crushing meted out and each player taking turns to score 4-5 points consecutively until 7-6 in favor of Jon Soh. It was then not so much 'cat-and-mouse', but 'lion-and-gazelle' (Brian will appreciate that) before Jon levelled the tie by taking the 2nd set, 11-8. The 3rd set was almost a replica of the 2nd with Jon taking that one by 11-7. It looked as though the younger UCSCsian had the measure of the 'Kom' but NO ..... Brian suddenly traded thunderbolts for subtlety with amazing consistency and to devastating effect. The big man showed deft touches against Jon Soh's stupendous athletic retrievals (despite having added a couple of kilos to his frame) with subtlety just edging home by 13-11.   2-sets-all and a mouth-watering rubber was on! It was more of the same in the rubber as in the 4th set, Brian resorting to drop shots and volleys as his energy had been sapped earlier through punishing rallies while Jon, although also beginning to show signs of fatigue, was still able to muster enough reserves to perform splits worthy of a role in the "Black Swan" and doggedly retrieve those drop shots. Despite leading at 6-4, Brian could not sustain the pace as Jon determinedly picked up and sent everything back. Jon stepped up the tempo and caught up to 7-7. Finally,  allowing Brian just one last respite at 8-10 match-ball, Jon Soh pumped his fist in victory when Brian tiredly sent a shot tamely into the tin. With that, a 4-0 victory was secured over our friends from SCC1.

Kudos to our pals from SCC who made it such an evening of exciting and competitive squash and yet, with the highest levels of sportsmanship and friendship.

UCSC and SCC Live & Breathe Squash!

Breaking the law(men) isn't something that law-abiding UCSC-sians are typically known for. But at Velocity last Friday evening, UCSC was roaring on their 'B'ombers to do just that. And how they were rewarded for their 'crimes'!

First to commit 'felony' was young Benjamin Chan, called up from the ranks of the 'C'onquerors' to support this vital opening mission in UCSC's B campaign. Ben was matched up against a rock-solid lawman, Tak Kumar, from the famed 'never-say-die' Gurkha contingent, the men without fear. Recently promoted from the C-grade, Tak must have improved a lot as he's also listed as support for the PSA A-team. Framed against the imposing silhouette of Tak, Ben looked a very small figure but finished, a giant-killer. The 1st set was tense, with both combatants playing tentatively, perhaps overawed by the rare occasion of playing in a 4-sided world-class court set up in the thoroughfare of the busy Velocity at Novena Square and watched by a good squash crowd plus curious shoppers who stopped to gawk. In a game of attrition, Ben made marginally fewer errors in an unremarkable opener to edge home 11-9. The 'A'nnihilators' dreaded malaise of dropping every 2nd set last Tuesday in their 'A' outing, then afflicted the 'B'ombers and true to trend, Ben dropped the 2nd set by a similarly narrow 8-11 margin. Wresting back the initiative, Ben took the 3rd and 4th sets through a fortunate mix of more winners than errors rather than through consistency. Still, it was a good win for UCSC contributed by 'big' Ben, who will only get better.

Next to do battle was Joshua Wong. Joshua was of course, just fresh from Tuesday's encouraging win in the 'A'-grade which he supported and also against PSA, albeit a different team. Joshua was up against veteran Gurkha, Chhabi Lal, an officer and a gentleman by any measure. "Chabbi", as he's popularly known, used to be one of those squash machines who could hit and run (legally) endlessly and wear down their opponents. He showed in this match however, a new dimension to his game when he executed numerous effective lobs and boasts to his trademark drives. But young Joshua was always just ahead and after the customary dropping of the second set by 12-14 (when holding game point at 10-7), proceeded to wrap up the tie by a 3-1 winning margin.

Veteran, Michael Tan, then went into action against the always dangerous Nuradwiyah, consistently one of Singapore's top lady players. An unsettled Nur made several unforced errors to allow Michael to edge home 11-8 in the 1st set. True to UCSC form, Michael then surrendered the 2nd set meekly to a more settled Nur by 4-11. The resurgent Nur continued her hot streak (no crime committed here)into the 3rd set to lead by 8-3 when suddenly, Michael struck a rich vein. Picking up the pace (or as PSA supporters said after the match, "switched from 1st to 5th gear in an instant") to play tight drives and sudden boasts, Michael pressured loose returns from the 'ambushed' Nur to tuck numerous drop-shot winners and clawed back from the brink of defeat in the 3rd set to edge home 12-10. There was no letting up now and Michael's winners continued to flow fast and furious and the 4th set was over rather quickly by a comfortable 11-3 for UCSC to confirm victory for the evening with an unassailable 3 ties to nil lead.

Captain Jonathan Cheu then entered the fray to encounter PSA's Chan Huang Yong, a former C-grade individual champion who was almost promoted to the A-grade just last season. Although the tie could have been termed "academic", in a league competition, that point may still make all the difference when the competition is over. Wanting to ensure that UCSC collected maximum points, Jon romped to a comprehensive victory over the game Chan, but not before breaking UCSC tradition by refusing to drop the 2nd set enroute to a 3 straight sets victory. Well, that's one 'crime' easily forgiven by UCSC supporters as they celebrated a fine opening result over a sporting and friendly PSA team.

The season for is still early on and nothing may be taken for granted, but it was an encouraging start nevertheless, for the eager 'B'ombers.

UCSC Lives & Breathes Squash!

Already confirmed 2010 Men's B league champions last week with 25 points, it was a relaxed team of 'B'ombers which cruised in early at SAFRA Toa Payoh to play the final match vs. SAFRA as a formality. But for SAFRA, the result had bearings on their final standing in the Men's B as well as valuable points to add to their total tally for the overall Club of the Year title. With 19 points and leading New Pioneers by just 2 points, SAFRA had to get at least 3 points from the match against the 'B'ombers to secure 2nd spot in the Men's B.