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It was a little sad that UCSC only managed to capture two individual titles of the eight Finals in which the Club's members featured last Saturday.
Nevertheless, how many other clubs can boast of the same depth which UCSC has consistently produced through the years? Not many, we reckon.
We start with the Ladies first, as usual.
GIRLS UNDER-13 (GU13)
Nicole Tong has performed at a standard beyond her years, continuing a proud UCSC tradition which Steffi Chan had firmly established during the past few years. Nicole finished 3rd in this event and it is noteworthy that she had lost to both the top two finishers in 5-setters and only after deuces. The diminutive dynamo will surely go on to scale greater heights from hereon. Well done, Nicole!
GIRLS UNDER-15 (GU15)
Steffi Chan nearly continued in the GU15 where she left off in the GU13 but fell just a little short when she lost in an exciting 5-set thriller (8-11 in the 5th) to eventual winner, Michelle Tay, a lass two years Steffi's senior. We have absolutely no doubts that Steffi, the girl-wonder, will soon be dominant in this event and others as she continues to mature and progress at a breath-taking pace fortified by a new resilience on court. Congratulations on finishing 1st Runner-up, Steffi!
The elderly, next ........
MEN'S VETERANS
Simon Yang drew first blood in taking the first set of the Final against rock-steady, Bill Hickling. However and despite the improved aerodynamics from Simon's receding hairline, there appeared to be enough remnant strands which held Simon back as he ran out of steam against his worthy opponent who took the next 3 sets. Still, it would be a foolish opponent who believes Simon is over the hill .... Those few remaining strands will soon go away and then, just watch Simon charge full steam ahead. Congrats, Simon .... You're still there!
MEN'S MASTERS
Bill Hickling completed a double over UCSC opponents as he defeated a very game Philip Mockridge in a close 5-setter and after Phil had taken a 2-set lead. The rubber was a close affair with Bill sneaking past at 11-9. Nevertheless, we applaud Mr. Mockridge for his fine performance and run in this event and who knows what will be when Phil hits the Veterans event in a few short years from now?
BOYS' UNDER-11 (BU11)
Tan I-Zhi (2nd seed) did UCSC proud when he comfortably won in 3 straight sets over worthy top-seeded opponent, Dylan Fernandez. We look forward to even greater achievements from this young man as he continues to grow, both physically and in his mastery of the sport.
BOYS' UNDER-13 (BU13)
It was an all-UCSC Final which pitted perennial friends and rivals, Kevin Tong (top seed) vs. Bryan Tan (3rd seed). Kevin won the title in a 3-1 victory with tight battles in the individual sets. In the 3rd/4th placing play-off, Tan I-Joe made sure he complemented younger brother, I-Zhi's win, with his own when he overcame 5th-seeded, Anders Ong, easily in 3 sets. 4th-seeded Joshua Chew, had a bad day at the office when he lost in the 5th/6th placing play-off and finished 6th overall. However, considering a 27-player draw, it was nevertheless a good result. Well done, all you UCSC lads!
BOYS' UNDER -15 (BU15)
While Brandon Tan Jit Wei did not feature in the Final, he did justify his 4th seeding despite losing to 2nd-seeded, Kojiro Tan, in the 3rd/4th placing play-off. Meanwhile, 5th-seeded, Goh Jia Wen, finished 6th in the 28-player draw. We know both will continue to improve in their development and future results.
BOYS' UNDER 17 (BU17)
In what may have been the shock of the day, top-seeded Warren Seow had a terrible day at the office and suffered a stunning straight-sets defeat at the hands of 3rd-seeded, Jimmy Liang. The Final was expected to be a tight event with both young men having encountered little resistance enroute to the Final and steamrolling all their respective opponents up till then. In the Final, only Jimmy continued the steam-rolling as the pressure of expectations weighed heavily on Warren and the top seed crumbled. With this experience under his belt however, we have no doubts that Warren will bounce back with a vengeance. Elsewhere at the Kallang Squash Centre and in the same event, 8th-seeded Matthew Hui improved on his shadow-seeding when he finished 5th in the 16-player draw.
BOYS' UNDER-19 (BU19)
The blue riband of the Boys' events, lived up to its top billing. Top-seeded Timothy Leong faced his perennial rival, UCSC's 3rd-seeded Jason Ho. Both had, in the semi-finals, respectively dispatched two of Singapore's top national juniors and entered the Final expecting yet another 5-setter which they appear to have a tacit agreement and obligation to fulfill. Spectators were not disappointed as the 5-setter was delivered with resolute Tim Leong coming up tops. It was a delectable Final and both young men must be congratulated for their performances and for doing the sport proud. Away from the spotlight, 7th-seeded Pang Ka Wai was quietly doing his bit of form-book busting as he easily downed 5th-seeded Royston Raymond in 3 sets. Thanks for all the excitement, lads!
MEN'S OPEN FINAL(LY)
The Blue Riband event of the day...... The Men's Open. The Final featured two of Singapore's most consistent and best male squashers in recent years. Vivian Rhamanan (ex-UCSC) and Marcus Phua (UCSC, of course) lived up to their 1st and 2nd seedings respectively in reaching the Final. Vivian certainly justified his seeding with a good win over Marcus as the first 3 sets' scores of 8, 8, 8 proved lucky only for Vivian. Still, Marcus had done well to maintain his good form in an otherwise, busy work schedule for a young man newly immersed into the career world.
We now look forward to the 2012 Thomson CSC Squash Invitational beginning this evening (Thursday 26th, Jan) at the Yio Chu Kang Squash Centre and culminating in the Finals on Saturday, 11th Feb, followed by the 2012 National Squash League, scheduled to commence around mid-February.
UCSC Lives & Breathes Squash!
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