Club Maurice: From Strength to Strength

After goal-keeping for The Replacements in the Champions Cup Winter 2009 tournament, the very first MKS Melbourne tournament, and with the taste of success after The Replacements won the tournament, Kenny Lam amicably parted ways with The Replacements to for Club Maurice.  Drawing in players from the outdoor soccer incarnation of Club Maurice, there was high expectations of the team as they debuted the Champions Cup Spring 2009 tournament.  However, they failed to qualify into the elimination round.  Quick to learn from their errors, Club Maurice entered the Mauritian Futsal Cup (MFC) 2010 with their typical enthusiasm and organization.

In the MFC 2010, their made their stellar rise to success, established themselves as strong contenders and as one of the big four teams of the MKS Melbourne tournaments.  Having missed the opportunity to play against The Replacements in the Champions Cup Spring 2009 tournament (as they were in a different group), Club Maurice entered the round 2 MFC 2010 match against The Replacements with fervour.  Their determination earned them a 1-0 victory.  In round 6 of the MFC 2010, they convincingly defeated Black Hawk United, a fellow big four team, 3-1.  However, in round 7, they fell to another big four team, Nioukyen FC 2-0.  As fate would have it, they face Nioukyen FC in the semi-finals and sought to make amends for their earlier defeat.

The match was the more exciting semi-final of the two and was very a tense game.  At the very end of the match, Nioukyen FC was award a penalty-kick, however, they failed to convert it to a goal.  Thus, the match ended with both teams scoreless at the end of normal time.  Club Maurice scored first in extra-time, however, Nioukyen FC equalized and, at the end of extra time, the match ended in draw once more.

A penalty shoot-out was necessary to separate the teams and determine a winner.  The shoot-out was long and drawn out, however, Club Maurice managed to get their revenge and emerged victorious 11-10.

Club M then moved on to the finals and face The Replacements.  Having already defeated The Replacements once in the tournament, they were surely confident against them. however, they were the least rested of the two teams given their drawn out encounter against Nioukyen FC in the semi-final.  Club M managed a dream start to the finals by scoring right from kick-off.  However, in the end, they were unable to hold the lead as The Replacements equalized and took the lead late into the match.

Having been a breath away from winning their first MKS Melbourne futsal tournament and making the very first mark on the Mauritian Futsal Cup silverware, Club Maurice have returned to the Champions Cup.  Their line-up for the tournament is as follows.

• Kenny Lam (captain)
• Olliver Lim (vice captain)
• Dean Lau
• Teddy Choon
• Kenny Choon
• Mervyn Lam
• Ken Fat Low

Their line-up remains largely unchanged, save for the addition of Ken Fat Low.  The team was bolstered with the addition of vice captain Olliver Lim in the Mauritian Futsal Cup.  There are also rumours of the addition of Shane Chan to their ranks. Shane Chan, who was the captain of the outdoor incarnation of Club Maurice, would be a strong addition to the team and would make Club Maurice an even bigger powerhouse than what it already is.

Captain Kenny Lam, says that Club Maurice enters the tournament with no rivalries, and is looking forward to play at its best against all teams in the competition.

It seems that Club Maurice is pushing hard to make up for the silverware they narrowly missed out on.  With the club going from strength to strength, this may well be the tournament in which they, in one fell swoop, realize their dream, and bring to a grinding halt The Replacements' winning streak and dominance.  Club Maurice has shown that they are the team with the best qualifications to derail the juggernaut that is The Replacements and make the first impression on the new Champions Cup trophy.