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 Over 340 ACS boys took part in the 2011 Past vs Present Games to celebrate the 125th Founder's Day at ACS (Independent) on 27 February.
Old boys even in their fifties and sixties mixed it up with gusto with boys more than half their ages, with good-natured ribbing and laughter erupting occasionally from the sidelines when an old boy exemplified the biblical verse "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak".
"It was great fun!" reminisced
Mr Chen Yeu Ping about his days in ACS. Mr Chen, 65, who finished his A Levels in 1965, was playing tennis with 37 other past and present ACS boys on the blistering hot tennis courts. He represented ACS in tennis as a doubles player, recalling that "Paul Choo
was the best player in my year."
 "I spent my free time playing sports in ACS. I don't mind doing it all over again!" he added.
Among the ACS old boys present on the day were Davis Cup players
Marc Lim and Andrew Kam as well.
Adjacent to the tennis courts, 80 past and present ACS boys took part in touch rugby which was introduced this year. "To go easy on the current ACS rugby players", in the words of an Old Boy.
"This year, they are kinder to us by playing touch," said
Wong Chee Khian (ACS '76, ACJC '78), who is also known as "Chicks". The 50-year-old has been back every year to take part in the games and also coached the B and C Division ACS rugby teams part time from 1984 to 1990.
 Over at the pool, 55 water polo players, past and present, turned up. The Past cruised past the Present 18-10, leading
Darren Ong, the current ACS (Independent) vice-captain to say with a smile about the game: "They are quite rough! Quite aggressive!"
The Secondary Two student was quite complimentary of his elders though, when he added: "They are still quite buff!"
On the artificial turf, three Past teams took on three Present teams for football honours.
"It's meeting old friends, getting to play friendly games," said
Rajendra Krishnan, 48, the point man for football, and who has a son in Secondary One. Raj, as he is known to friends, used to run the 1500m and 5000m for ACS.
 At the squash courts,
Melvin Goh, 17, of ACJC, came up against the wiles of
Ng Eik Pin, 44 (ACS '83).
"The pace is slower," said Melvin, reflecting on the difference between playing a peer and a mature competitor. Melvin went down 1-2 in a close game.
For Eik Pin, coming back for Past vs Present for the second time in a row "makes me feel young." Eik Pin, looking as trim as the Present players, has been playing competitively in the squash world masters.
The ACS boys playing badminton were the only ones to enjoy the air-conditioned comfort of the indoor hall. 72 players showed up, with the Past winning 10-4.
"This is my third year coming back (for Past vs Present Games)," said
Tay Yuanqi, Class of ACS (Barker Road) '04. "It's good because it's nice to see old boys coming back interacting with the current batch." Yuanqi also pitches in part-time to coach the B and C Division badminton squad at ACS (Barker Road).
Leslie Tan
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