SCGS claim double for second year running in B and C Division squash

By Marvin Lowe

Kallang Squash Centre, 14th April 2009 Tuesday,- Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) emerged victorious for a second straight year when they defeated arch rivals Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) 3-2 in the final of the B Division Squash Championship. It was a close and tense affair with players from both teams battling their hearts out.

In the first match-up, Sarah Heah from SCGS faced off against Rachel Leong from MGS. Rachel took the first set 9-5 but Sarah fought back to take the next set 9-3. Both players used the expanse of the court to great effect, dropping shots in the corner and angling shots into difficult areas.

Rachel emerged tops in the 3rd set with a close 9-6 victory but Sarah showed great determination to level it at 2-2 by taking the fourth set 9-5 to force a final rubber set. Here, Rachel prevailed 9-3, giving MGS the first point of the final.

The second match was the most crucial point for both teams. Whoever won the match would likely win the title. This second match was a re-match for the two players. Elena from MGS defeated Valentina from SCGS two years ago in the C Division final, allowing MGS to take home the title then. This time round, it would be up to them again to determine the fate of their school once more.

Things started ominously for SCGS captain Valentina Yong when she lost the first two sets 9-0, 9-2. It seemed liked Elena was all set for a comprehensive victory. However, Valentina dug deep into her reserves to fight back. First, she shocked Elena with a 9-0 win in the third set. Despite this, Elena was still in the drivers seat, needing only to win one more set.

The fourth set was a long drawn affair. Both players traded points early but it was Valentina who pulled away with a 9-4 victory to level the match once again. At 2-2, it was all to play for. Valentina showed great courage and played a captain’s inning when she wrapped up the final set 9-4 to give SCGS the vital point that they so needed.

The next two match-ups were elementary for SCGS because Sherilyn Yang and Mao Shi Yuan were their top seeds and are national youth squad members.

Sherilyn finished her match against Seah Wan Ning with ease, winning all 3 sets 9-3, 9-0, 9-2 while Mao Shi Yuan dispatched Rachel Choe with a scoreline of 9-0, 9-0, 9-5.

This gave SCGS an unassailable 3-1 lead and although MGS won the final match, it was inconsequential to the final result.

Winning this final allowed SCGS to achieve a unique double-double. They have now won both the B and C Division squash championship titles for two years in a row.

Teacher-in-charge for SCGS, Mrs Linda Lee, was very proud of her girls’ achievements.

“It was a really close encounter today, but we managed to pull through. The entire team has worked very hard to achieve this. Hopefully, we will be able to repeat this again next year.”