By Raffles Press
And the Team Raffles Games continue! In this article, Raffles Press brings you the highlights of TRG Week 2 (Part 1), featuring the games played on 5th August.
Floorball: The Art of The Stick
By Jerome Tay (20S06Q)
Photograph courtesy of Students’ Council
At the blow of the whistle, both teams (literally) collided into each other in a struggle to possess the ball. No one spared any expense in their attempts to decimate their opponent. It was intense, and not a single spectator could peel their eyes from the clash that took place within the playing area. And it wasn’t even the finals yet. In fact, the suspense and exhilaration of every match was present right from the start in both the sports and non-sports sides.
Every so often, a player would brandish their stick, preparing to take the shot that would penetrate the enemy’s defence and settle into their goalpost. Of course, what happened more often was that the ball would fly over the dividers and set its sight on the innocent spectators. Truly, the Floorball TRG was as immersive as it could get.
The final match between BW and MT over at the sports side resulted in a draw, and both teams settled their scores in a penalty shootout. Neck-to-neck, respective players from both houses took their shot at a free hit into the goalpost from the half-line. In the end, BW managed to overcome their rivals in red and emerged victorious. The moment would be etched into TRG history for a long time, as equally-impassioned shouts of triumph and disbelief fill the ISH, marking the end of another event.
Rankings
1st: BW
Tied 2nd: MT and HH
Tied 3rd: BB and MR
Squash: Squashing the Competition
By Rachel Leong (20A01A), Mah Xiao Yu (20A01B), and Megan Soh (20A01B)
Buried underground in the Y1–4 campus, away from the heat of the scorching sun, the squash courts were slowly filled with eager participants, squash CCA members and councillors. As we descended into the underground courts, the participants were being briefed on the rules of the game and the modifications that had been made. Each house had sent three players and each game was worth 7 points. The final score of each house would be the sum of the scores of all three players and naturally—the house with the highest total score would win.
As the games began, the enthused screams of encouragement, joy and exasperation echoing throughout the tightly packed space became louder and louder. It was clear to see that everyone was heavily engaged in the matches, especially the players themselves. Shoes squeaking against the wooden floors as they lurched from side to side, the players’ reflexes were impressive and they managed to hit the small, fast-flying balls with powerful strikes. They wielded their rackets with vigour, sending squash balls ricocheting off the walls and flying in all directions at astounding speeds. Every so often the ball (or even racket) would bang violently against the glass doors, causing everyone (or maybe just us, the writers of this article) to jump in their seats.
In spite of the intensity of the games, the players retained their smiles and composure, displaying sportsmanship and camaraderie through it all. Meanwhile, on the other side of the glass walls, the spectators weren’t passive onlookers at all. They were as much involved in the game as the players themselves – they cheered when their friends got a point, groaned when the rival house scored, and laughed fondly at their friends’ blunders. So even though this was an individual sport, everyone felt like they were part of a team. And though, ultimately, the victory went to HH, everyone won in one way or another.
Rankings:
1st: HH
2nd: BB
3rd: MT
4th: MR
5th: BW
Ultimate Frisbee: Flying By The Seat Of Their Pants
By Gabrielle Ng (20A01E) and Ng Jing Ting (20A13A)
Photograph courtesy of Hadley-Hullett’s Instagram page
Things were heating up at the Second Field, and not only because of the searing heat. As the clock ticked slowly towards 4.20pm, eager players from various houses, councillors, and members from Raffles Ultimate (RU) started to gather in conglomerates along the perimeter of the walkway lining the field. After attendance had been taken by the councillors, members of RU shepherded the players onto the field for a quick practice session in throwing the frisbee. Soon, white plastic discs were flying through the air as the players familiarised themselves with playing techniques.
After the basics of the game had been explained to the players by RU members, players from different houses were directed onto the field to commence with the games. The rules of the game were simple—for each game, each house was represented by a five-member team, and the tournament proceeded in a round-robin style, whereby each team played in turn against every other team. The playing area was quickly filled with shrieks as the games intensified, driving up the competitive spirit that crowded every inch of the field, including the shaded walkway where the audience screamed in delight or groaned in disappointment accordingly with every pass cleared or botched. With every rotation, players shuffled out of the playing area, sporting fresh streaks of mud on their limbs. Regardless of whether they had just won or lost spectacularly, they retained cheerful expressions, satisfied that they had fought valiantly.
The games ended, and the victor was clear as day (though, ironically, it had progressed to twilight by the time of the TRG’s conclusion). And victory favoured BB that day as the green-clad players took first place. What absolute champs!
Rankings:
1st: BB
2nd: HH
3rd: MT
4th: BW
5th: MR