COPA IBA 2007

The COPA IBA 2007 was the most exciting ever for BSGC in the 6 years we have been participating. I could still hear the cheers and shouts ringing in my ears as I sat down to write this. It was an amazing atmosphere that was equally as impressive as our achievements on court!

For the first time in our history, our opponents were standing up to notice BSGC and we were commended for our impressive tactical plays despite our lack of physical stature (ie height & strength). We were downright exciting and were equal in challenge to any teams that we played against.



When we first walked into the Real Sports Arena, I could hear gasps and whispers of comments on how tall some of the guys and girls in the halls were. Many of us must have felt like midgets as we walked among the lands of giants. I remember joking as we left the bus "Don't be afraid... Be VERY afraid.. for we shall walk among giants today...". We may have laughed but the joke literally became reality as we walked into the Arena. I remembered walking past this guy who stood more than a head taller than me (and he was slouching too!! - Imagine Esther standing next to him!!! or maybe Ashley or for that matter Bobby!!! Bobby would probably be at the right height to smell his butt!!! It was literally Psalms 23:4 - "... I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...."

The players were nervous but noticeably excited as the games went underway after a short sharing from Uncle Steven Low and Uncle Dexter. We immediately assembled at our “home venue” on Court 9.

The Seniors were the first up against the all-black Melawati. The game started poorly for us as Melawati opened scoring by fielding a really tall male catcher. After Daniel, the team manager for the senior team, swapped tactics and played 2 outfield male players, our fortunes changed! We romped to victory, defeating Melawati 20-12!!

The Juniors were up next against PJGH. After watching them play against Subang Jaya, our other group “nemesis”, we were not sure how we will fare against them, although we were optimistic. In the end, we Beat PJGH 14-5!! Our automatic qualification to the Quarter-finals was assured!

After our first round of group games, we were suddenly filled with self-belief and we knew we could match all the giants that may come our way.

Our seniors won the next game against Shah Alam GC-B easily 20-9, assuring our qualification to the Quarterfinals as well, while the Juniors lost to Subang Jaya 24-10. The next Senior Games were academic but we still played our hearts out. We lost to Klang Jaya 13-5.

The Quaterfinal drawn our Seniors to meet against Klang Gospel Hall, a traditional CB power house along the likes of Bangsar and SS; while the Juniors were drawn to meet Shah Alam GC.

The Seniors played a very tight game against Klang GH and fought valiantly till the end. We matched the Group winners from Group R point for point until the second half when the tactically and physically superior team from Klang finally managed to pull ahead and defeated our Seniors.
The Juniors were immediately up and the Seniors quickly pulled themselves together from the defeat and cheered the Juniors on. With the help of the cheering, The Juniors easily defeated Shah Alam GC 10-5 to progress into the SEMI-FINALS for the first time!.

This bought much cheer to the BSGC camp and we were excitingly talking about our chances of advancing further, but we had to clear Subang Jaya first, the team that defeated us in the group games. When the Juniors finally took to court, the cheering BSGC camp quickly roused the Juniors to a strong lead of 11-4 by half-time. However, the gritty and more experienced Subang Jaya team romped back and applied pressure on our defence before finally defeating our valiant Juniors 18-14. It was an evenly matched contest that drew cheers from both camps and many observing visitors from other teams. Subang Jaya eventually won the Juniors’ title defeating PJGH in the final.

It was, nevertheless, a very exciting evening for us. We made history in COPA IBA 2007.
For the first time, we sent TWO teams to the competion
For the first time, we participated in TWO categories of the Competition
For the first time, we scored 20 points in a game!
For the first time, we qualified beyond the 2nd Round.

Our Seniors are ranked among the 5th-8th placed team among 19 teams.
Our Juniors are ranked joint 3rd among 9 teams.

Congratulations BSGC! EVERYONE DID WELL and MADE ME PROUD! I can certainly walk tall among COPA IBA and say I AM from BSGC.

Let’s gun for trophies in COPA IBA 2008!!

More photos coming your way soon....

Uncle Mikey