Story By Zachary Foo and Jiexin Neo/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck and Clara Yuan/Red Sports
Md Iswandy (9Y2 #13) executes a sunback spike as Mohamed Fahmi (#6) of Punggol East CSC blocks. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Anchorvale Community Centre, Sunday, March 16, 2014 — From sending in one team in 2013 to six this year, Team 9Y2 is making its presence felt in the 2014 Community Games. “Because they are ready this year, that’s why they decided to give a shot,” said team manager, Muhammad Rashid.
Rashid, 31, works as a technician by day, but doubles as the team manager for Team 9Y2. Drawing on over 15 years of experience in the sport, he organizes training and coordinates the teams while they play in the Community Games. When asked about their aims in the Community Games, he said, “We take this as a hobby. We only play because of our love for sepak takraw.”
The team consists of working adults who meet up every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to train together at Eunos Crescent. “Some of them are new, but 90% of them have been playing together for three years. We decided that it was better to play together as a team,” said Rashid, showing how close the team is. The camaraderie was evident during their match against Punggol East CSC, as the bench could be seen cheering each point that was won. “Sepak takraw brings us together, more closer, I believe,” said Rashid.
Besides competing locally, the team also travelled to Malaysia. “We’ve been to places like Pahang and Negeri Sembilan. In fact, we just returned from a training trip from Selangor last week!” said Rashid. The best result they had was a top-16 finish in one of the Malaysian competitions.
Outside of sepak takraw, the team also bonds over other activities like a team outing or a picnic at the beach. “We aren’t like a club, more like a family,” replied Rashid, when asked about how he felt about his team.
Rashid also has a good friend through the sport. “That would be Khairul Azim, a childhood friend I’ve known for about 20 years. We played together in secondary school back in 1996, right up until now. He isn’t here today as he has to manage the youth teams,” said Rashid.
When asked about why the the team has the name ‘9Y2’, Rashid said, “In Arabic, it means something along the lines of ‘Everything is about heart’. I believe this is what our team aspires to show each time.”
Scoring by Set
Team 9Y2 AA vs Punggol East CSC B
1st Set: 21–16 (1–0)
2nd Set: 14–21 (1–1)
3rd Set: 16–9 (2–1)
Team 9Y2 AA Roster
Filzil Bin Othman (#3), Md Fadhil (#11), Md Iswandy (#13)
Punggol East CSC B Roster
Mohamed Fahmi (#3), Mohamed Fami (#7), Zulkefle (#8), Muhd Imran (#9), MUhammad Razali (#18)
More photos next page
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