... so good to back in Singapore and celebrating Jon's birthday

Got back from US on Wednesday, 22 Feb at midnight. We are still in a daze from the jet lag but went out to watch HSBC Women Golf Championship on Friday. Was extremely fortunate to get TMCC pass that allowed us to watch from the club house (and free flow of beer). On Sunday, we belatedly celebrated Jon's birthday at NoSign Board Seafood - the crabs were yummy! Great to have the family together.

... so good to be at Princeton for National Team Championship

The introductions for the first match against Cornell. This was a bridge too far - they lost 5-4, won against Dartmouth 6-3 but fell to Rochester 5-4. It was a disappointing weekend but the team can hold their head high as they had a great season. They broke Trinity's streak, won against Harvard without key players! They only lost 1 regular season game to Princeton. Hope the boys bounce back!

... so good to watch Yale beat Harvard

Just to prove that the win over Trinity was no fluke - Yale beat Harvard 5-4 without Hywel and Charlie. What a big upset! The team has done really well despite the weakened team (by two years of lack lustre recruiting and injuries). Ken played really well against Ali Farag even though he lost. He made Ali worked for the win!

See report.

NEW HAVEN, Conn.- The No. 3 Yale men's squash team rounded out a memorable regular season with an exciting 5-4 win over No. 4 Harvard Sunday at the Brady Squash Center. With the win, the Bulldogs clinched second-place in the Ivy League, a game behind No. 2 Princeton. 

The Elis worked hard for every inch against the Crimson, fittingly riding wins from three seniors in their final home matches to the victory. The hero of the upset of No. 1 Trinity, senior John Roberts, had one of the easier Yale wins of the day, sweeping Nicholas Hopcroft 11-8, 11-8, 11-3 at the No. 3 spot. Classmate Samuel Clayman was pushed further at No. 7, needing four games (11-5, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6) to do away with Julian Kirby for the match-clinching win. But Robert Berner's No. 6 match was the toughest of the three, as he gutted out a five-game win. After dropping the first game 12-10, Berner bounced back to take game two (11-5). But he fell again in game three, this time by a score of 7-11, and had to bounce back with a crucial 13-11 win in the fourth frame. Berner then held on for an 11-9 win in the fifth and final game to complete the impressive win.

Junior Richard Dodd had to work hard in his No. 2 match, needing four games (11-7,6-11,11-8,12-10) to dispose of Brandon McLaughlin. Sophomore Neil Martin earned a sweep at No. 5, 11-9,11-7,11-4.

The win broke a tie for second in the Ancient Eight between the Crimson and Bulldogs, giving Yale the edge. Last weekend's loss to Princeton left the Elis out of the title hunt coming into Sunday's match, but the win over Harvard will solidify Yale's No. 3 ranking heading into the CSA Team Championships next weekend at Princeton. 

Yale's 14-1 record gives the Elis a higher winning percentage this year than in 2010-11, when they posted a 15-2 record. Despite not bringing home the Ivy League title this year as they did last season, the highlight of the Bulldogs' season heading into the CSA Championships is undoubtedly the team's epic come-from-behind win over Trinity, who had not lost in 13 years heading into that match. The Bulldogs and Bantams could be headed for a rematch next weekend. The Elis may also get a shot for revenge at the host Tigers, who provided the lone blemish on their 2011-12 schedule. 

Report by Chelsea Janes '12, Yale Sports Publicity

... so good to meet the suite mates

The mortally gang from H31 (unofficial gender neutral suite of 6 boys and 2 gals). That's Stephanie, Alex, Julia, Ash, Keppy and Ken after dinner at Yorkside - serves great pizza and chicken tenders. But as usual the servings were huge! This was after watching Stepie and gym team compete in the Yale Gym! 

... so good to visit Ken again in US

We went straight to New Haven to take the team bus to Dartmouth. Photo above shows the freezing weather that greeted us. However, it is much warmer than last year. Generally this winter has been mild. Yale took down Dartmouth 6-3 the next morning. Most important it was good to see Kenneth again. So good to catch up with everyone - players, parents and coaches.

... so good for Ken to secure his summer internship

Ken confirmed that he has been offered a summer analyst role with UBS in their IB team (telco, media and communications). At least he has settled the next step towards getting a job when he graduates. This was the result of the fringe benefit of being on the Yale squash team. Lots of the former team mates are there. Hope he will find his niche there. 

...so good for Yale to beat Trinity (ending the streak!)

HISTORY! No. 2 Bulldogs End No. 1 Trinity's 252-Match Win Streak

No-one had been able to beat the No.1 Trinity men's squash team since February 1998. The Bantams traveled to New Haven Wednesday night with 252 straight wins: the longest active win streak in varsity intercollegiate sports. But thanks to the Yale Bulldogs,the 13-time defending National Champions left the Brady Squash Center with a loss. 

"It's hard to put into words, this group has been trying for four years to break through," said Yale head coach Dave Talbott, who has been at the Bulldog helm since 1983. "A lot of the guys were here tonight, guys who graduated and laid the foundation, but this team -- especially the seniors -- wanted this so bad."

And those seniors proved the difference. Captain Ryan Dowd took his match early on, backed by wins from junior Hywel Robinson at the two spot and sophomore Neil Martin at the six. That gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead heading into the final four matches, but a tough, hard-fought loss for seniorSamuel Clayman at No. 8 pushed things to a tie, and the Bantams were able to grab a 4-3 lead with a win from Vikram Malhotra at No.1.

But after years of watching close games fall the Bantams' way, the Eli seniors responded. The only two matches left on the court were Robert Berner's No. 7 and John Roberts' No. 4 match. Both Roberts and Berner saw their matches go to 1-1, and were able to push to 2-1 leads almost simultaneously. 

As they did so, word spread to the Yale community: instead of thinning out as the night got older and older, the crowd grew and grew. What that burgeoning crowd saw was an emphatic 11-8 win in game four from Berner, which meant the onus fell on Roberts to hold off Johan Detter if Yale was to pull the upset. 

At first, it looked like that task would prove too much. Detter came out firing in game four, grabbing an 8-1 lead and never looking back en route to an 11-3 victory. 

But Roberts was unfazed. 

"I knew there was a chance it would come down to me, and as soon as Berner came off the court I could tell it was 4-4," the Belfast, Ireland, native said. "I knew I had to win my last game. Fortunately I got off to a good start."

He certainly did. The tension rose as Roberts opened up a 6-3 lead that grew to 10-3 before Detter could stall the run. When he did, a couple of lets and a Trinity point built the anticipation and set the stage for Roberts, who closed it out. 

"It feels incredible. It feels absolutely incredible," Roberts said. "Knowing all these guys -- they've all worked so hard all season. The coaches have done an incredible job. For us to get a win in this match -- it's incredible, but we've got a long season after this so we've got to try to move forward from it."

But before they look to the remaining eight games of their regular-season schedule -- and a potential national championship rematch with the Bantams -- no-one could blame the Bulldogs for looking back. For two straight seasons prior to this one, Yale found itself in the national title match. In two straight seasons, Trinity forced the Bulldogs to settle for second. The Bantams' 252-match run is widely regarded as the longest winning streak in the modern history of collegiate athletics. Period.

Thanks to Yale, that streak is history.