Yes, finally I managed to pass CCNP SWITCH exam.
Lesson to be learned, make sure you read all those tiny sections at the back of the book that mention exam updates.
It turns out that between publishing of the official certification guide and my sitting the exam the first time around, Cisco had updated the exam curriculum. As a result, the book author had written extra content as a PDF to be downloaded from the publishers website.
If I had know that before my first attempt, perhaps I would have passed, who knows. As it is I took advantage of several other aids to study for my second attempt and I guess it all worked as I passed.
Only one more exam for CCNP, that's TSHOOT booked for Dec 14th!
Wish me luck.