IHG 19/20 Week 1
Softball Carnival
Starting off the IHG season, KR softball played their hearts out at the carnival at the start of the week! Read on to find out what went down during the carnival as well as some thoughts from our very own athletes!
Day One: Morale soared as our players started strong with a 16-1 lead against King Edward Hall, with consistent defending and batting, ending several innings on Mercy Rule. The atmosphere quickly changed for the second game to a much more serious one as both Raffles Hall and KR fought tooth and nail to break each other’s defences. In the end, the match concluded with a tight score of 5-3 to Raffles Hall.
Day Two: Knowing that they will be facing the two powerhouses, Temasek and Eusoff Hall today, KR kicked off the day with a 12-4 win against Sheares Hall. Tension brewed in the air as the first big match began. Our players put up a fierce fight, ultimately losing marginally to Temasek Hall 12-14. Our softballers went on to play their third match of the day against Eusoff Hall, scoring 3 runs, but eventually letting in 13 runs from Eusoff, ending the match 3-13.
Day Three: Playing for third position, KR softball met Raffles Hall again on the diamond on the final day of the carnival. Our players brought in several runs in the first two innings, bringing the score to a tie. Hopes of securing a third position seemed within our grasp. But alas, Raffles Hall broke through our defences and scored multiple runs, finishing the season with a score of 19-9 to Raffles Hall. With that our softball team kicked off the IHG season with a strong fight, coming in fourth.
Here are a few words from some of our softballers!
Ryuto (captain): "Although the results may not have been ideal, I am glad we became teammates from just strangers. I am grateful for my members that made this an enjoyable journey!"
Yu Qing: "This was an eye-opening experience for me as it is my first time being part of a sports team, especially one with a strong team spirit."
Nigel: "For me I really enjoyed myself as it was a whole new experience since I’ve never played softball before. It really tested my hand-eye coordination. Also, it may seem easy to hit the ball with a bat but when you actually try it, it is damn hard."
Janine: "I felt like it was a really good experience both for those who played before and those who were new to the sport. Everyone put in their all and we ended it in good spirits despite not being the best. My biggest take away was the newly forged friendships and a really sporting team."
Joey: "It was especially enjoyable playing alongside such an encouraging team and we also had a lot of fun on and off the field with the many hotpot and renegade dancing sessions!"
Good job and thank you to our softballers for putting up a fight in the last days of the winter break, have a well-deserved rest and continue to fight for KR in the upcoming sports that you represent!
January 9, 2020
Written by Feng Rui
Sepak Takraw: KR 2 – RH 1
Our Kent Ridge Sepak Takraw boys kickstarted their IHG campaign strongly with a 2-1 win over Raffles Hall on Thursday, with standout displays from the seniors on the team.
Dave, Arhdoo and Elmer began proceedings as our strong first regu, easing to a 15-9 win in their first set. A sloppy start saw them trading points back and forth with RH, but with the score at 8-8, they turned it up and finished their opponents off with a 7-1 run to secure the set.
The next set left the spectators nervous as a 5-point lead evaporated when Dave and Arhdoo were substituted with freshies Carman and Mave. Multiple unforced errors by the inexperienced duo allowed RH to get back into the game, with RH eventually gaining a 12-11 advantage. Thankfully, FYF Elmer managed to gather Carman and Mave together to take the 2nd set with a 16-14 win.
RH capitalised on the slightly weakened line-up, winning the 3rd set by 12-15. With the score for the first regu at 2-1, Dave and Arhdoo came back in for the 4th set to win 15-8, wrapping up the first game for KR.
The second regu, consisting of Shi Jie, Zong Luck and Nic Tan, contributed to the winning streak, as they won the first 2 sets 15-9 and 15-3. In the second set, freshie Wyatt replaced Shi Jie and surprised the spectators as he won 3 consecutive points. KR took a 2-0 lead over RH to secure the overall victory as the 3rd set of the second regu was won at 15-12.
With victory already in the bag, KR rolled out an all-freshman team consisting of Idris, Naing Tun and Elgin for the dead rubber 3rd regu. It proved a good experience for the new players, and despite falling 9-15, 2-15 and 7-15 against a more experienced RH team, they gave a commendable account of themselves, with Idris showing promising glimpses despite the loss.
January 9, 2020
Written by Miguel Toe
Sepak Takraw: KR 2 – Sheares 1
The KR Sepak Takraw boys’ second game of the day, against Sheares Hall, was a trilling and action-packed affair. With passionate supporters on both sides filling up the MPSH, both teams battled hard, with the victor securing the top spot in the group before the semi-finals on Sunday.
Just like the game against Raffles Hall, KR stuck with the first regu of Elmer, Dave and Arhdoo in hopes of gaining an early advantage over SH. In the first set, neither side could pull away and both traded punches back and forth. With the score at 14-13 to KR, David set up Arhdoo for a clinical kick for the crucial point, sending the KR crowd wild as KR won the first set.
SH responded quickly in the second set and secured a 11-15 win. With the score level at one apiece, a crucial third set saw SH taking a 2-0 advantage at the beginning, and things started to seem worrying for KR. Thankfully, some highlight plays including Dave’s amazing split to save the ball and consistent finishing from Arhdoo revitalised the KR team as they went on an incredible 10-1 run before securing the third set.
With momentum greatly in KR’s favour, the first regu continued their electrifying play as they went on another big run of 10-4 in the fourth set before securing it and the first match at 15-10.
1-0 up, the second regu of Edmund, Wai Kit and captain Howe gave a glimpse of a chance to secure the victory for KR over their tough opponents. Things, however, did not start well for the team as they fell behind 0-5 in the first set with the final score of 10-15 to SH.
In the second set, KR managed to regather themselves, and with a 6-1 lead, the team won 15-3 as they dominated with powerful finishes from Wai Kit. The second regu showcased their exceptional performance in the third set, securing a 15-8 win. To wrap up the game and the overall victory for KR, the team came back stronger after an initial 8-4 downfall. Despite knocks to Howe’s ankle and Edmund not at full fitness, the boys emerged victorious with a 15-9 win, showing tremendous fighting spirit as the crowd went wild.
Having secured an unassailable 2-0 lead, KR sent in Nic Tan with freshies Jian Ling and Wyatt for the third regu. Despite a strong effort from them and keeping it close for a few sets, they were unable to overcome a more polished Sheares and KR eventually lost 3-1. However, the job had been done by the first 2 regus and the Takraw boys celebrated their hard-fought win and a berth in the semi-finals.
January 9, 2020
Written by Miguel Toe
Tennis: KR 4 – Sheares 1
The Kent Ridge (KR) tennis boys kicked off their IHG season with a tough match against Sheares Hall (SH) on Friday. Five matches, comprising of three singles and two doubles matches, were played to determine the victor.
KR’s Sen started the 1st singles match of the night. He got off to a rocky start and lost the first game. Thankfully, Sen quickly found his rhythm. Soon enough, SH could not keep up with Sen’s big serve and powerful groundstrokes, as he dominated and finished off the match swiftly with a 9-2 win.
The second match of the night was the first doubles, played by Ashton Kwah and Yi Qi. The duo traded the first four games, with the score at 2-2, before finally pulling away as Ashton gave a sweet smash for the break point, lifting KR up to 6-3. With momentum on their side, Ashton and Yi Qi surged on and took home a 9-4 victory.
With a 2-0 lead, it was time for the highly anticipated second singles starring KR’s Ethan against SH’s best player. An inspired start drove Ethan to a 5-2 lead, but SH responded quickly to lead the 2nd singles by 6-7. Despite evident fatigue setting in, Ethan kept his nerve and broke his opponent’s serve with a monstrous backhand, bringing the score up to 8-7. The battle between the two talented players continued as SH managed to tie the game at 8-8, forcing a tiebreaker. Tension was in the air as both players went back and forth, with the tiebreak at 2-2. Ethan eventually secured a hard-fought victory and the win for KR, as he won five unanswered points to secure the tiebreak, giving KR a 3-0 lead.
With the match in KR’s bag, the second doubles, a dead rubber contested by Zach and Justin, began well for KR as they were able to keep up with a highly skilled SH doubles team. Unfortunately, with the score at 4-4, unforced errors began plaguing our KR doubles team and they succumbed to a 9-4 loss.
KR Tennis’ captain Ashton Toh capped off the night for the team as he played the final game, the third singles of the night. The captain led by example, thoroughly outplaying and dominating his opponent, and en route to a straightforward 9-0 win without missing a beat. This gave KR an overall victory of 4-1 over SH.
Our boys will be playing their next game on 18th January against Temasek Hall.
January 10, 2020
Written by Miguel Toe
Editor's note: At the time of writing, our Takraw boys took down Eusoff Hall in the semi-finals, the final score KR 2 – EH 1. Catch them in action as they take on Temasek Hall tomorrow in the finals!