IHG 17/18 Series 5 #chasinggoalsdreamsunfold
Soccer
Soccer (M): Sheares 3 – KR 0
In the second and last group stage match, Heng Mui Keng neighbours (or some might say rivals), KR and Sheares Hall, went head to head to determine who will top the group. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals, claiming convincing wins against KE in the previous week, yet this did not deter either side from fielding a near full-strength starting eleven for this match-up. Clearly, the coveted top spot was of equal importance to both teams.
The game kicked off with much ferocity and intensity, as it shaped up to be a physical and aggressive game expected from these two sides. Both teams started strong, as they matched each other tit-for-tat in the opening few minutes, with each side creating decent chances. Sheares almost went ahead with a headed effort rebounding off the crossbar, much to the relief of the KR supporters, before Dede (#7) had a long-range effort saved comfortably by the Sheares keeper. However, it was Sheares that broke the deadlock first, taking advantage of a lapse of concentration in the KR defence, to unleash a volley of great technique from the edge of the 18-yard box to take a 1-0 lead. KR tried to muster up a response, but a disciplined Sheares defence kept the score as it was until the half-time break.
In the second half, KR continued to look for an equalizer, but Sheares seemed to have settled comfortably into the game. They started to control the match and had a handful more chances, but were rejected by a string of good saves by Shasqil. However, Sheares proved to be too clinical and soon extended the lead with a free header from a corner. Now 2-0, Sheares began to close the game up, making it difficult for KR to find a response. As the clock ticked down to the final whistle, Sheares finally killed off the game with a quick counter-attack that opened up the KR defence, and converted a one-on-one effort against the keeper, to wrap up the score at 3-0.
It wasn’t the best day for our football boys, and the score didn’t do their performance justice either. Yet, let us not forget that this isn’t the end of the IHG journey for them, as they will be facing Eusoff Hall in the semi-finals. Our boys will be looking to put this game behind them and show what their really made of, so do show your support for them in their upcoming game!
22nd January 2018
Reported by Nicholas Tan
Soccer (M): Eusoff 2 – KR 1
Our KR Football Boys faced Eusoff in the semi-finals for what lined up to be a closely fought and physical game. And indeed, it was a tight affair with both teams having their fair share of chances. The poor condition of the NUS field didn’t help either, as both sides struggled to string passes together and maneuver around the pitch. Eventually, after 90 mins, both teams were still tied at 0-0.
On to extra time, substitutions were made by both sides for fresher legs, as the two teams continued to battle fatigue in search of a goal. Alas, Eusoff managed to take a lead 10 mins into extra time with a clean 1-one-1 finish. In search of an equalizer, KR began to pile numbers forward and increased the pressure on Eusoff’s defence. However, this left them vulnerable at the back and Eusoff took advantage with a quick counter-attack to extend the lead 2-0, early in the second half of extra time. Yet, KR were undeterred and showed their fighting spirit as they ran and fought harder for every ball. This led to KR getting a goal back through an accurate finish from Jeshua (#4) from outside the box. Unfortunately, time and fate were not on our side, as the final whistle blew before we could grab an equalizer.
Our Football Boys may have narrowly lost the semis, but their fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude won our hearts. They played some excellent football, displayed amazing teamwork, and I’m sure they left the pitch with no regrets. Not the fairy-tale ending we would have wanted, but nonetheless congrats for getting this far boys!
29th January 2018
Reported by Nicholas Tan
Table Tennis
Table Tennis (F) Finals, KR 2 – TH
On the 7th of February, our Table Tennis girls fought valiantly in the final round of the Table Tennis (F) IHG against an equally strong competitor, Eusoff Hall.
It was a nail-biting match and spectators were left on the edge of their seats, as every set won by Eusoff was matched by a win from KR. While Eusoff took the first set with a score of 0-3, played by First Singles player Nicole, our Second Doubles players Sherby and Chang En immediately snatched the next win for KR with a set score of 3-0, pitting both teams at an overall score of 1-1. Second Singles player Steffi persisted and fought resolutely, but unfortunately lost to her competitor, putting the overall game score at 2-1. Second Doubles players Roxanne and Fion put up an amazing show, and took the lead as soon as the match kicked off by emerging victorious for the first 2 sets. While they gave their all to attack and defend with great camaraderie, they eventually lost the next 3 sets to Eusoff, bringing the overall score to 3-1 in Eusoff’s favour. This did not deter Last Singles player Teng Yue, nor shake the team’s resolve; the girls cheered their hearts out for Teng Yue and Teng Yue herself demonstrated her prowess and experience as she took the last set with a score of 3-0. KR hence ended the game with a final overall score of 2-3 in Eusoff’s favour.
While the girls may have lost the overall match, each player showed great determination and skill, and in particular, the team as a whole exhibited admirable team spirit as they fought as one united front. We will continue to cheer the Table Tennis girls on next year, and we are sure they will emerge victorious next season! Good job, KR Table Tennis girls!
First Singles Nicole: 0-3
First Doubles Sherby and Chang En: 3-0
Second Singles Steffi: 0-3
Second Doubles Roxanne and Fion: 2-3
Third Singles Teng Yue: 3-0
Reported by Jamie Koh
Handball
Handball (F) Finals KR 10 — EH 15
KR Handball Girls made history this IHG as the first team in 12 years to make it to the finals. A quick recap: their season began with a tough match against opponents EH, where they were down 2 — 5 at the end of the first half. However, they came back to even the score to 8 — 8 at full-time with a combination of hard defence and smart offensive plays. Our girls then brought their A-game to next group-stage match opponents KE, driving a hard offensive pace that led them to a 21 — 1 victory, topping the group. The semi-finals against RH was marred by bad weather and delays which ended the game past 12am. However, our girls were not deterred, keeping their cool and playing it smart to emerge victorious at the end with a score of 18 — 10 and a place in the finals against EH once again.
The finals against EH proved to be a rollercoaster ride with both teams playing hard with one common goal in mind. KR girls’ ended their first half 3 down once again, mirroring their first match against EH. With some tactical changes made by coach Alan and great teams plays, the second half proved to be a hard-fought back-and-forth battle between the two teams as KR managed to close the gap in the scoreline. At this point, both teams started consistently scoring goals in order to edge out the competition. Alas, the second half ended with an tied 10 — 10, bringing the match into overtime. EH fought back hard in these last 10 minutes, dragging the score to 15 — 10 in their favour.
Nonetheless, our girls definitely put up one heck of a fight. Well done girls!
A shoutout to captains Chyi Fang and Lim Ping for their hard work and efforts, their coach Alan, whom had to consistently play matches and coach one match after another, as well as the supporters who came down for each game.
Reported by Leow Li Wen
5 February 2018
Netball
Netball Semi-finals: KR 26 – KE 11
Lineup: Zenna, Dorothy, Vivien, Wen Sze, Sze Min, Deena, Sandrine, Gwen, Eunice
With four players (three of which shooters) down with Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and a few other players unable make it due to the last-minute scheduling of the match, the nine netballers left standing went up against KE7 in the semi-finals last Sunday afternoon. Despite being fairly confident of their ability to win the game, the KRNB girls knew not to underestimate KE7, especially knowing that they would only have one (trained) shooter on court and two substitutes throughout the game.
The KR girls largely controlled the pace of the game, with the more experienced players keeping themselves steady to minimise possible mistakes with the makeshift game plan of the day. Though we had the advantage of very experienced players on our side, the KE7 girls put up a respectable fight, quickly picking up on our weaknesses, strategically going for interceptions, and interrupting repeated runs.
However, our defence was too much for them to overcome, with the KR girls intercepting many of their passes, and sticking so closely to their “man” that there were a couple of instances of the KE players holding the ball for more than three seconds, because of their lack of options to release to ball, and possession immediately going to us.
KR was the clear winner with a score of 26 – 11 as the final whistle blew. Kudos to the netball girls for securing a spot in the finals despite the less-than-ideal situation!
Reported by Gwendolyn Tai
4 February 2018
Netball Finals KR 14 – EH 25
In their final match of the IHG season, the netball girls faced Eusoff Hall in a bid for the title of champions. Having succeeded in achieving their goal of making it to finals, morale was high for KRNB as they entered the court ready to play their hearts out and put on a good show for their friends who turned up to support them. Both teams started strong, going all out starting from the first quarter. There was no room for error, as poorly executed passes by both teams would be quickly intercepted by the opposing team. The defence on both sides was extremely tight and intense and getting the ball from one end of the court to the other was very challenging. Every opportunity for the shooters to score was not to be wasted. The first quarter concluded with a score of 5 – 6 to EH, but knowing we had a fighting chance, the KR girls came back harder in the second quarter.
It was truly a game of who defended harder as the offence on both sides struggled to find opportunities to shoot. At the end of the second quarter, the KR girls showed supporters and opponents alike what they’re made of, scoring 5 points and conceding 4, bringing the score to a tie. However, in the third quarter, Eusoff showed no mercy as they changed strategies and quickened the pace of the game. As our girls tried their best to fend off our opponents, we ultimately came up short in the third quarter, with Eusoff leading 19-10.
While things seemed bleak, the girls didn’t give up and fought on in the final quarter, getting in a few more shots and preventing Eusoff from scoring as many as they did in the previous quarter. Ultimately, we fell short of the gold as Eusoff showed that they were a force to be reckoned with, and the game ended with a final score of 25 – 14. However, our girls did KR proud by qualifying for the finals and showing Eusoff that we are not to be underestimated as we made sure they struggled to gain a lead in the first half. Heads up, KRNBCCB! You did us proud!
Reported by Gwendolyn Tai
7 February 2018
Basketball
Basketball (F) Prelims 2: KR 61 – RH 22
Last Saturday afternoon, the KRbballaces went up against Raffles Hall in their second preliminary match and dominated the game with a final score of 61 – 22. The KR girls took the lead within the first minute, and by the end of the first quarter the score margin was very comfortably in our favour. Despite RH’s best efforts, our girls were too quick with their interceptions and rebounds, which led to many easy fast breaks and open shots.
The impenetrable fortress that was our defence
Lim Ping and Nicole going for the rebound
Sick steal by Zann
Xiao Ting cuts between two defenders and takes a shot
Beautiful fast breaks by Steffi, Claudia and Bernice
Our speed and intensity, probably in part due to the frequent substitutions that kept the energy levels on court high, proved to be too much for RH as their attempts to score were repeatedly foiled by our man-to-man defence, and their defence was barely able to keep up with our quickfire passes and rapid lay-ups. Towards the end, some on the bench even remarked that it was “basically a fast break drill for Claudia” as she scored several consecutive lay-ups with little to no obstacles.
Kudos to RH for their resilience and congratulations to KR for topping their group and making it to the semi-finals!
Line-up: Jeanny, Xiaoting, Steffi, Bernice, Nicole, Claudia, Gwen, Woanjing, Isdiy, Limping, Crystal, Clarisse, Zann, Celine, Huikay
Reported by Gwendolyn Tai
3 February 2018
Basketball (F) Semi-finals: KR 67 – SH 56
The KR basketball girls faced Sheares Hall in their semi-finals last Sunday, both sides equally determined to earn their spot in the finals. Our girls got off to a rough start as an aggressive Sheares team scored several consecutive baskets within the first few minutes. However, the KRbballaces quickly got back on their feet after two three-pointers by Steffi which gave the team the burst of confidence they needed to re-group and reorganise. Careful not to underestimate their opponents, the KR girls slowly gained the lead with clinical offensive plays, swinging the ball back and forth the three-point line and creating gaps to break Sheares’ tight zonal defence. The Sheares girls carried out their offensive plays with similar precision, and in their resolve to maintain a solid defence, the KR girls challenged every move by Sheares, resulting in numerous calls by the referees for fouls committed by both sides.
As both teams fought hard with the same goal in mind, the intensity on the court was felt not only by the players, but by the spectators, who cheered for every interception, rebound, conversion etc, and by the referees, who observed closely the contact between the players and were extremely strict with their calls, alike. By the first half we had one player taken out of play, and in fourth period we had another.
Despite our setbacks we managed to maintain the lead throughout all four periods, but our opponents never let us get too comfortable as they persevered to close the gap, the number on their side of the scoreboard climbing as steadily as ours. Ultimately, KR had the edge as the final whistle blew with a score of 67-56 in our favour.
It was indeed a tough fight, and the bballaces did KR proud in the face of a fierce opponent. Excellent job making it to the finals, girls!
Line-up: Jeanny, Xiao Ting, Bernice, Steffi, Lim Ping, Clarisse, Nicole, Claudia, Gwen, Zann, Isdiy, Crystal
Reported by Gwendolyn Tai
4 February 2018
Basketball (M) KR 47 - KE 24
On the 28th of January, just less than 24 hours after their first preliminary match against Eusoff Hall, our Kent Ridge Basketball boys marched in with renewed vigour, determined to triumph over King Edward VII Hall (KE) and secure a spot in the semi-finals. In spite of the fact that inter-varsity players were not allowed to compete, one should not undermine the non-IVP team who definitely proved their worth and showed that they were a formidable team to watch out for.
The game kicked off with a jump ball between KR’s representative, Barthiban (#5), and KE’s representative. With fast reflexes and a keen eye, Bart gained contact with the ball first and managed to hit the ball over to Jovi (#27), who continued the play. Unfortunately, the ball was lost in a turnover to KE, who ultimately scored the first goal. However, this was almost immediately met with a foul by KE and 2 successive penalty shots scored by Bart, putting the overall score at 2-1. While KR perfectly secured multiple rebounds which allowed them to execute set plays, KE did not let down their defense and took several successful penalty shots, ending the first quarter with 9-11 in KE’s favour. By then, our boys’ adrenaline had kicked in and they were more than ready to give their all in the next 3 quarters, trading pats on the back and bouts of encouragement during the break in a great show of teamwork.
As the 2nd quarter commenced, our KR boys displayed unparalleled chemistry which led to good assists and consecutive shots scored by Samuel P (#35), Zi Hang (#4) and Bart, turning the score to 15-11 in KR’s favour! With a time-out called by KR, coaches Lester and Kevin strategized on plays and emphasised on the need for better defence by KR (“hands up guys hands up!!!!” and “more [legal] contact!!”). This was immediately followed up on, especially by players Wesley (#3), Andrew (#10) and Shawn (#87). With 1 second to go on the shot clock, the 2nd quarter ended with a buzzer beater 2-point shot by Mathew (#7), bringing the overall score to 25-16 in KR’s favour.
The 3rd quarter saw team KR putting forth solid defense to maintain their lead, along with attempts at drive-ins and box-set offenses. The last 1 minute of the 3rd quarter saw amazing chemistry between Wesley, Mathew, Zi Hang, Ying Hao (#1), and Sam Tan (#0), with great assists and passes leading to Wesley catching KR’s rebound and scoring a 2-point shot right as the buzzer sounded, ending the 3rd quarter with 33-22 in KR’s favour.
The last quarter was a mix of solid camaraderie, impenetrable defense and aggressive offenses, with an aim to run the clock to maintain KR’s double-digit point lead, culminating in KE only scoring 2 points in this quarter. With just 8 seconds to go, Jovi made a pass to Andrew, who was greeted by players on the benches standing and shouting ‘run the clock, run the clock!!’ ferociously, in a bid to maintain the current 21 point lead. However, in another miraculous buzzer-beater act, Andrew drove in and attempted a 3-point shot (but unfortunately stepped on the line), and... score, just as the buzzer sounded out again! Our boys hence ended the game with 47-24, a grand 23 point lead.
This game highlighted impressive teamwork and trust between players, and improved shooting and defence from the team. What a game it has been, with 3 buzzer beaters! Do continue to support and cheer your hearts out for our KR Basketball boys as they advance to the semi-finals!
Kent Ridge Roster:
Samuel Tan (#0), Ying Hao (#1), Wesley Yeo (#3), Zi Hang (#4), Barthiban (#5), Matthew Ang (#7), Andrew Wong (#10), Xian Jun (#13), Jovi Ang (#27), Sam P (#35), Shawn Poh (#87)
Reported by Jamie Koh
28 January 2018