Hall 3 retains Inter-Hall Games title

Posted On 08 Mar 2016

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Hall of Residence 3 is overall champion for the eighth time in a row, winning eight sporting events including football and badminton

By Sean Loo

Hall 3 midfielder Hieng Pheak Kdey skips past a challenge from Hall 6’s Nicholas Lim during the IHG football men’s finals. PHOTO: KENJI KWOK

For the eighth time in a row, Hall of Residence 3 emerged as the overall champion of the Inter-Hall Games (IHG) last month, winning gold in eight events to finish with 70 points.

The Games took place from 12 Dec last year to 15 Feb.

Hall 3 Sports Secretary Jeremy Tang, 23, said he was satisfied with the performance of the sports teams. “While there were some disappointments here and there, overall we did a good job,” said the second-year Sports, Science and Management student.

He credits Hall 3’s dominance to the successful recruitment and retainment of experienced players over the years.

“We usually manage to retain most of the players, because they make new friends within the hall and so are more likely to stay on,” he added.

Their football team clinched one of two golds on the final day of competition, reclaiming the championship from Hall 16.

The footballers edged out their Hall 6 rivals in the final match, winning 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw.

Hall 3 football captain Muhammad Khair revealed that the goal to recapture the title had been at the back of his teammates’ minds since their first training session at the start of the academic year.

The 22-year-old added that the footballers’ quest for gold was driven by their memory of last year’s defeat — they lost on penalties at the quarter-final stage.

“Our target this season was to be the champion,” said Khair, a second-year National Institute of Education student. “It was our team spirit, everyone giving their best and our belief in each other that carried us through the pen- alty shootout.”

Hall 6 football captain Huang Zhiwei, 23, said he was pleased with his team despite the loss.

“We played for each other, we fought for each other, that’s why we managed to last all the way from prelims to the finals,” said Huang, a third-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Hall 3’s shuttlers also delivered awinonthefinaldayoftheIHG competition, beating their Hall 16 opponents 4-1 to retain their title.

Describing the match as “nerve-racking,” Hall 3 badminton captain Ngo Yi Chye, 22, said: “The line-up was crucial, and thankfully we got it right.”

Hall 3 also emerged tops in six other events — women’s hockey, men’s softball, sepak takraw, touch rugby, men’s volleyball, track and field and badminton.

The eight-time champion, which pipped runner-up Hall 16 by only five points, will face stiff competition from other halls in its bid for a ninth successive overall title at next year’s Games.

Second runner-up Hall 2 finished with 60 points and three gold medals. Sports secretary Stanley Gan, 23, believes his ath- letes will put up a stronger per- formance next year.

“I think my sportsmen did very well, considering the tough competition from other halls, especially Halls 3 and 16,” said Gan, a second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Commending the athletes’ efforts, Gan singled out the Hall 2 tennis team’s gritty 3-2 victory over Hall 16 as an exciting match to remember.

Recalling how the men’s doubles pair fought back after trailing 2-8 to beat their opponents 9-8, Gan added: “That was one of the best games I ever watched.”