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<\/a>Tennis Team, 68-69<\/p><\/div>\n
In the season 1968-9, I was the captain of WYK tennis for the second year running.\u00a0 Other than Robert Ko and me, we had all new players in the team – Paul Siu, T. Mok and others.<\/p>\n
My partner was Paul Siu.\u00a0 At 16, he was six feet, one and a half inches tall, with big bones and muscles.\u00a0 He loved to play tennis, and would go to his club at Kowloon Tong to play evenings and all weekends.\u00a0 He had a big serve and overhead smash, sometimes erratic, but was improving.\u00a0 In later years, he became a top club player in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
At that time, the Interschool tennis competition rules required 6 players from each school team.\u00a0 The players made 3 pairs of doubles partners, and each pair will play 3 sets against each pair of the opposing team – a single round robin.\u00a0 Thus a match between schools was comprised of a total of 9 sets, and the team with 5 or more sets won the match.\u00a0 Two substitute players were allowed for each team.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the three years I played for WYK, there were eight or more schools in open competition.\u00a0\u00a0 That season, there were 13 teams, DBS was the best team and they were first place.<\/p>\n
King George V (KGV) was the second strongest team.\u00a0 They had the best pair in Hong Kong: not only in Interschool play, but in open competition.\u00a0 They won every under-18 tournament, every set played and represented Hong Kong.\u00a0 Their names were Carlton and Jaeggar.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Paul Siu reports<\/p><\/div>\n
I had played them before and lost.\u00a0 Earlier in that season, in the match between WYK and KGV, Paul Siu and I got two games at the outset, but were defeated 6-2.\u00a0 They won consistently by big margins, 6-0 or 6-1.\u00a0 KGV was on their way to runner-up.<\/p>\n
Then an interesting thing happened.\u00a0 In a match against another school, a weaker team that we had beaten, KGV did not win, they tied or lost.\u00a0 I was told by Paul that there was a big party on the Friday night before, and some player(s) might not even have shown up.\u00a0 In any case, WYK were tied with them going to the end of the season.<\/p>\n
They won the rest of their season’s matches and so did we.\u00a0 Tied at second place, rules called for a playoff, in January, 1969.<\/p>\n
Our coach, Fr, Finneran (see Annals of Excellence: WYK Tennis), took us through two regular practices at school.\u00a0 He appeared optimistic, but I knew he was apprehensive.<\/p>\n
The playoff took place on a school day afternoon.\u00a0 In that morning, a notice was circulated to all classrooms – \u201cthere will be a tennis match against KGV for second place in HK\u201d.\u00a0 It was unusual to have this kind of announcement for tennis – I knew that Fr. Finneran had initiated it.\u00a0 To what effect it provided to us I do not know.<\/p>\n
There was a free period in the late morning and I did not join football.\u00a0 Walking around the Sandy Field in school uniform, I heard\u00a0Mr. Chu, our Physical Training teacher, call out my name from a distance.\u00a0 He made a tennis swing.\u00a0 His body language and intention were clear: he wished to encourage.<\/p>\n
We got off one class period early and went to Tin Kwong Road, where I had battled many times in the last three years.\u00a0 So did KGV \u2013 their school was within walking distance.\u00a0 It was winter and we arrived in our school uniforms.\u00a0 KGV had arrived already changed, with some of their players warming up.\u00a0 Their coach was a teacher from England, and would serve as one of the umpires.\u00a0 I had met him in the past years, and he impressed me as friendly, fair and sportsmanlike.<\/p>\n
My teammates and I were changing in the small change room when I was called out by Fr. Finneran.\u00a0 He was agitated and pulled me out of earshot.<\/p>\n
Apparently, the KGV coach had just told him, in a level headed manner, that the result was all but certain \u2013 that KGV was sure to win.\u00a0 He explained that their first team\u00a0would win all 3 sets, because they always won all their sets by convincing margins.\u00a0 Anchored by a sure 3 sets, their improved second team would probably take 2 or more sets.\u00a0 Their third team would get one or more sets.\u00a0 So the likely final score would be KGV 6-3.\u00a0 His assessment was reasonable and somewhat correct, as play would reflect later.<\/p>\n
Fr Finneran was obviously upset, but understood the situation well.\u00a0 Without hesitation, I became confident.\u00a0 I told him not to worry – we will play our best, we will \u201cplay to win\u201d.\u00a0 He calmed down a little, and went to get the match ready \u2013 pairs listing, court assignment, umpires, balls etc.\u00a0 I went back to the change room to say a few words to lift our spirit, without a word on what had just transpired.\u00a0 We knew the difficult challenge ahead, but were positive.<\/p>\n
In good sportsmanship, both coaches listed their three pairs in order of strength, without manipulation to get some perceived strategic advantage.\u00a0 Our first pair, Paul Siu and I, would play their first, Carlton and Jaeggar.\u00a0 Each round of three sets was to be played simultaneously on three separated courts.<\/p>\n
With the KGV coach as our set umpire, we started against Carlton and Jaeggar.\u00a0 We were quickly beaten in the first two games.\u00a0 It appeared that this time, we were going down as fast as 6-0, an usual score for these powerful opponents.<\/p>\n
Down 2-0, it was my serve.\u00a0 Perhaps I had given some measure of assurance to my coach and team, but largely because of my tenacity to survive the attack and to fight back, I held serve \u2013 putting in a combination of wide swinging and closed-to-the-body first serves:\u00a0 I knew that they were too good to be beaten by the same shot repeatedly, and would pounce on second serves, so it was a tight balance to put in high percentage but effective shots.\u00a0 I did that, with all good first serves.\u00a0 The returns, when made, were relatively weak and Paul put them away with volleys or big overhead smashes, games 2-1.<\/p>\n
During the court change, we told each other positive things, but the drift was that we were underdog any way, and would play offensively \u2013 Paul would not need to drop back to baseline on the defense as most of their opponents had to do.\u00a0 We would take the game to them. We would \u201cpush them\u201d.<\/p>\n
I always played right to Paul, and received serve first.\u00a0 At that moment, I had no fear to their deadly first serves and smashes.\u00a0 I started to hit sharp angle returns, using the power of their serve to re-direct and pull the ball wide to their right sideline, disallowing volley by their net player at the same time.\u00a0 Paul was relentless, poaching to volley and smashing with no mercy whenever my shots were returned from the acute angles I had placed them.\u00a0 It was another fast game, 2-2.<\/p>\n
Paul got his big serve back \u2013 confidence manifest motion and very soon, we were up 3-2.\u00a0 Getting ready to receive again, I felt that their first serves were no longer the onslaughts many players had experienced.\u00a0 I could hit any of their first serves back to any spot I wanted.\u00a0 And I was sure Paul felt the same way.\u00a0 Hitting back to pinpoint spots, sometimes in front of the mid court within inches from the sideline, I would pull the server so wide that he could not get to the ball without colliding with the metal side fence.\u00a0 Returned shots, if any, were disposed of by Paul.\u00a0 They were seasoned, so I mixed it with deep shots across court or down the line too.\u00a0 4-2.<\/p>\n
Getting ready to serve, we were \u201cin the zone\u201d – a condition, a frame of mind, a unity of body, mind and place that you can execute with confidence and certainty of outcome.\u00a0 It is a situation that sportsmen occasionally experience, to be treasured and relished.\u00a0 I felt as one with my surrounding \u2013 the tennis court, the players, ball and racket, net and posts, air, winter sky and all.\u00a0 We could do anything.<\/p>\n
Our opponents were not champions if not formidable.\u00a0 They knew that we had lost to them every time we met; 6-2 was the best we ever got.\u00a0 They did not crumble, panic, \u201cchocked\u201d.\u00a0 They kept up the pressure, hitting hard, deep shots and followed up by coming to the net to volley with their long reaches.\u00a0 On our part, we did everything to stop them from playing their game, by hitting hard, sometimes very short, wide shots, at their shoestring mentally.\u00a0 For their particularly fierce deep shots, I would lob it back, over the net player.<\/p>\n
We had to get almost every point by hitting a winner.\u00a0 That we did.\u00a0 The points and games went fast and furious, but short and decisive.\u00a0 We were up 5-2.\u00a0 Changing sides, I thought I saw a little loss in their confidence \u2013 they had never been in this position before – but I will never be sure.\u00a0 Then it was set at 6-2.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Fr Finneran<\/p><\/div>\n
As umpire to this game, the KGV coach said to Fr. Finneran during the time waiting for the completion of the first round, \u201cWhat have you done with those boys?\u201d, who related to me with a big smile on his face.<\/p>\n
The first round ended with another piece of good news:\u00a0 we had won another set.\u00a0 We were ahead 2-1 in sets. Optimism mixed with excitement was in the air.<\/p>\n
In the second round, with the afterglow of our first set, Paul and I faced their third pair and we took it quickly.\u00a0 But KGV was strong:\u00a0 there was to be no walkover, no surrender.\u00a0 They took the other two sets and we were tied 3-3 in sets going to the last round.\u00a0 Waiting to change courts, conscious of our struggle, the six of us were silent.\u00a0 We knew what we had to do \u2013 play our best, play to win.<\/p>\n
Going into the last set against their second pair, the feeling of \u201cin the zone\u201d had gone.\u00a0 But we were ready to battle.\u00a0 This was s strong pair. Although we had won a close set in the regular season, the outcome was all but uncertain.\u00a0 As captain, I thought about the other two sets \u2013 their top pair would take their set with ease, so can our second team get their set?\u00a0 There was no time to think and do anything about it, and I turned my mind to completely focus on our task.<\/p>\n
Our opponents were fierce with desire to beat us.\u00a0 We were all playing our best \u2013 many points were long and hard fought, with deuces after deuces, resulting in long games.<\/p>\n
We were leading 4-3 and fighting for the last points on the following game when suddenly, all the other players and coaches gathered outside our court, watching from behind the fence.\u00a0 They had finished their sets and Paul and I instinctively knew that the match was hanging in the balance.\u00a0 Somehow it was related to us through the fence (probably Fr. Finneran) that we were tied 4-4 sets.<\/p>\n
Paul and I took the points to surge to 5-3, and held on to win 6-3.\u00a0 The match was over, 5-4 sets for WYK.<\/p>\n
Fr. Finneran broke through the gate and congratulated us on the court.\u00a0 He shook Paul’s hand, then embraced me, bouncing his feet at the same time, trying to jump or to dance.\u00a0 His face was pure joy, boy-like.<\/p>\n
On a Monday morning a few weeks later, we were assembled in the school Hall with all the students on a routine meeting.\u00a0 After the customary school hymn, and some proceedings, Fr. Reid, the Principal, announced that WYK was tennis runner-up in Hong Kong, and presented the banner awarded by the Hong Kong Secondary School Sports Association.\u00a0 I was called up on stage to receive the banner on behalf of the team, and WYK.<\/p>\n
I can still see the smile on Father Finneran’s face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Key Match: KGV vs WYK in 68. In the season 1968-9, I was the captain of WYK tennis for the second year running.\u00a0 Other than Robert Ko and me, we had all new players in the team – Paul … Continue reading