IHG 19/20 Week 3
Tennis (M): KR 2 – TH 3
On Monday, our Kent Ridge tennis boys were up against Temasek Hall in an intriguing battle for top spot in the group, with both teams having already secured their place in the semi-finals. KR, being the slight underdogs, went in with great belief that they could emerge victorious and put on a great display.
The first singles saw a hot start from Ethan, going up 4-2 against his opponent, who struggled against Ethan’s powerful strokes. However, the TH player stayed resolute and slowly chipped away at Ethan’s lead as he levelled the score at 6-6. Ultimately, just like in his first game against Sheares, fatigue started to affect Ethan, leading to a few unforced errors, as he lost the first singles 9-6. The score was now 1-0 to TH.
Undaunted by the rocky start, the first doubles of the night saw Ashton Kwah and Yi Qi bringing KR the first win of the night. Both players dominated their opponents from start to finish, not once did they let go of the 4-0 early lead. The duo had consistent volleys and finishing, and eventually wrapped up the game with 9-2 to KR.
KR’s Sen then prepared to take on his TH opponent in the second singles. In a prolonged and dramatic affair, both players traded sets to 7-6 in favour of Sen, as neither were able to hold serve multiple times, with back-and-forth rallies filling the game. Then finally, a breakthrough for KR in the form of a TH shot going long gave Sen an 8-6 lead, and he never looked back. 4 points from victory, Sen secured 1 with a clinical drop shot, the second with a brilliant lob as his opponent went up to volley, and a surprising underhand serve which caught his opponent off guard. Sen collapsed to the ground in exhaustion after the match point, as KR went up 2-1 with this victory, just 1 match away from winning the night. Reflecting on the gruelling match, Sen declares that we should “call me Mr Grinder”.
The second doubles of the day saw Justin and KR’s captain Ashton Toh in action, hoping to take a game-sealing 3-1 lead for KR. Yet, in the shock result of the night, the pairing never managed to get into gear, with multiple mistakes made throughout the game. Failing to sustain any consistent play, they fell 9-0 to TH as KR’s big chance to take the win slipped away.
It was now up to Zac to play the decisive third singles as KR and TH were tied at 2 apiece. Facing TH’s best player, Zac put up a strong fight as his hard-hitting shots helped him stay within touching distance. Unfortunately, the opponent got into his groove and Zac could not keep up any further, falling 9-2 overall. Despite the laudable effort of our boys, KR lost 2-3 to TH.
January 20, 2020
Written by Miguel Toe
Table Tennis (F): KR 2 - SH 3
Tuesday saw the opening round of the group stages for table tennis, where the halls battled it out at KEVII. The opening match saw IVP superstar and last year’s captain Teng Yue battle it out with her Sheares counterpart. After securing the first point of the set, she easily overcame her opponent and won her sets 11-2, 11-1, 11-1, securing our first win in less than 15 minutes. (Score 3-0)
The second match saw our first doubles team up against Sheares, with Valerie and Vicky taking the helm. With Sheares taking the first point, our girls were determined and made a comeback in the first set, bringing the score to a tie before eventually losing the set. They displayed courage and strength in the subsequent sets, but eventually bowed out after the third set. (Score 0-3)
Next up we had our table tennis captain Yuju, who battled against an equally skilled player, putting up a worthy fight. She managed to bring the score back to a tie several times, but unfortunately succumbed to her opponent. Nonetheless, it was an extremely commendable effort, a good show of will and resolve. (Score 0-3)
With Sheares up 2-1, it was vital that KR secured this match. The 4th match saw doubles team Janine Soh and Kimmydonuts up against Sheares. After securing the first point of the match, the pair showed great chemistry, levelling the tie with a comfortable 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 win over Sheares. (Score 3-0)
With the score now at 2-2, KR had to play the rubber match against Sheares. The rubber match was extremely tensed at the beginning. The highly-anticipated match was delayed at the start due to due to some unforeseen circumstances, which did not sit too well with the convening official, who (very angrily) said that if our player was not present by 8.45pm, Sheares would win. But of course, in true KR fashion of mad clutches, Chang En came right on the dot at 8.44pm to face off with Sheares. She secured the first set easily with a 11-7 win over Sheares. However, Sheares came back strong in the second set with a 7-11 win. The third set saw En bring it back up with a 11-8 triumph over Sheares, who levelled it 11-6 in the fourth set. With the score now tied 2-2, the deciding set was extremely close, with supporters on both sides cheering their hearts out each time their team scored a point. With the score tied at 10-10, KR eventually lost out 10-12, with Sheares taking the final win. (Score: 2-3)
The overall score tallied 2-3. Good fight girls!
Watch them play their next group match against TH on 28th February, Tuesday.
January 21, 2020
Written by Charmaine Keasberry
Squash (F): KR 2 – TH 3
Our ladies’ match kicked off with Elysia taking on Temasek Hall’s IVP player. Our B Block business student put up a worthy fight against her hard-hitting opponent, surprising her on numerous instances with return-fire when she thought she dealt us the final blow. Primarily a tennis player, Elysia, nevertheless, did KR proud.
(Score: 0-3)
Jia-Xin was next to step into court against another formidable opponent with prior experience. Another hard-hitting warrior, Jia-Xin had to equal the power in her shots, which she eventually did, and never backed down till the athlete in white emerged victorious from the court.
(Score: 0-3)
Our third player was Shermin, the D Block destroyer known for her sizzling shots that stuck to the wall. Her experience and good game sense guided her to a clean, comfortable win as she pummelled her rival into a lifeless heap, quickly dismissing Temasek Hall’s chances of securing a fast win against our ladies.
(Score: 3-0)
In a battle that quickly evened things out between the halls, Captain Lee Jia Ling flexed her glorious, graceful yet tenacious strokes in a heated arena. Gnashing her perfect pearly teeth (also, Jia Ling is a dentistry student) in a display of focussed fervour, her repertoire of shots showcased her qualities which resonated with her conscious captaincy and fiery personality. What’s better than winning? Winning and flashing a plaque-less grin at your own personal (all-male) fan club chanting “JIA LING WARRIORS”.
(Score: 3-0)
The last match was fought with Lim Ting from E Block heading in for the kill. Clearly the underdog, she pulled out a bag of tricks to send her opponent the wrong way and point by point there was hope – but her opponent proved too difficult to overcome.
(Score: 0-3)
Nonetheless, our ladies’ squash team put up a fantastic display of guts and tenacity. Losing 2-3 was a marginal defeat – still, they are unbowed, already marching to face their next showdown on 1 Feb against Sheares Hall.
Be there to witness their next showcase of firepower! (It’s a Saturday but just come anyway it’ll be no less than intense)
January 22, 2020
Written by Russell A. Wong
Handball (M): KR 22 – Sheares 22
Wednesday's handball match saw the Kent Ridge handball boys face-off against Sheares in the Heng Mui Keng handball derby.
During the first half of the match, Siew Wei scored a penalty for KR which put KR in the lead. Takraw gold medalist, Howe, showed that he could not only use his legs and head well but his hands too, as he widened the point difference by another. As tension arise, both teams attacked furiously and defended valiantly as they vied for the lead. In the end, thanks to some first-rate shots scored by Sappel and Calvin, KR emerged comfortably ahead, leading by 13-7.
In the second half, a few two-minute fouls by our key players, Zong Luck, Calvin and Imman ended up slowing down KR’s juggernaut offence. The momentum of the game began to swing back in Sheares favour, who were able to close the gap tying the score at 15-15.
KR was still able to keep just ahead of SH with a few impressive wing shots from Ying Hao as well as some clutch saves from keeper Yam. After stopping a dangerous attack from SH, Yam's fast break unleashed Siew Wei, as he clinically tucked the ball away extending KR's lead, bringing the score to 18-15. This sent the KR fans into a crazed frenzy, with some even exclaiming the moment as the “play of the game”. Towards the end of the match, keeper Yam was replaced by Leon whose ability is only matched by his size as he managed to give KR yet another impeccable save that denied SH, keeping KR ahead 20-19.
With minutes left in the game, Ying Hao made a decisive play from the left flank to put KR in the lead by another point. Our boys continued to push on, despite the team giving away fouls. However, the efforts of the KR warriors were not enough to prevent SH from equalising, ending the match in a 22-22 draw.
All in all, it was a superb effort from our boys that kept our spectators on their toes. Good job boys!
January 22, 2020
Written by Alexandria Low
Road Relay
This year’s road relay (F) kicked off with Cheyenne as the first runner, who finished in a respectable 3rd place behind EH and TH. Our next runner, Anne, managed to maintain KR’s position throughout the 1.8km route, putting pressure on the other competitors before Vanessa Lee overtook the afore mentioned halls with a timing of 6.23, bringing our girls to the front of the pack. Reena, Tammy and Charis all held their grounds against EH and TH, as KR competed with both halls for first place. It was a close fight, but EH eventually took the lead, followed by TH then KR.
To get a sense of the excitement buzzing in the atmosphere, below is a true story of spectators discussing @vannielyz’s run:
Person A: I heard she ran at a time of 6.20
Person B: That's faster than half the guys
Person C: That's faster than MOST of the guys
When asked about their performance, Reena, the captain, said, “Thank you girls for your awe-inspiring fortitude. Through scream-worthy slope trainings and countless intervals around the track, you guys put up a good fight against formidable opponents. We’re in a land of giants, but we’ll be back stronger!”
Right after the excitement of the girls’ race, the organizers wasted no time in ushering the male teams to the start line. The 1st runner for KR’s male team (also known as Mark’s fanclub 2020) was Elisha Goh, who was hyped and ready to run after hearing our glorious captain’s @thegr8mark’s speech. “We’re going in as underdogs and it can only improve from last year!” said Mark. However, this was quickly countered by Philip John Duggan who shot back and said, “That’s if we don’t get DQed…”.
After witnessing the girls, the boys were motivated to give it their all. Elisha managed to come in with a timing of 6.30, putting KR behind EH, TH, RH and KE. Our next runner, Philip, came in with a timing of 6.12, bringing the team to 4th place. The tight fight between RH, KE, PGP and KR for 4th position continued, before Philip passed the baton to Jian Ling, who came in 6th. Mark, who came in with an extraordinary timing of 5.59, brought KR to 2nd place behind EH. However, the competition remained strong as Nigel came in 4th. Our final runner, Jon Wong, fought hard and put the team right behind SH, landing KR in 5th place.
Despite the tough competition, captain Mark Lim said, “I would like to commend the efforts of my entire team. They did their best, ran for each other and conquered probably the toughest IHG out there.”
Good job to both our road relay teams!
January 22, 2020
Written by Jonathan Wong
Handball (F): KR 18 – KE 9
Heading into their first game of the season, the handball girls were pumped to play against KE and took the court with confidence despite being a relatively new team. The starting seven consisted of Chyi (our resident IVP left back), Doro (FYF pivot), Rindy (left wing), Zenna (FYF centre), Zhi Min (right back) and Nat (right wing). Felicia (keeper) took the court despite spraining her ankle a few days before the game – kudos to you, Fel!
It was evident that nerves have yet to settle and the team was fumbling, as KE scored the first goal. This got the players worried and it translated into their court play. A few yellow cards were drawn, two-minute time outs were called, and penalties were given. The first half ended with a worrying score of 7-7.
This did not faze our warriors. Heading back into the second half, they were more ready than ever to fight for the win. However, an unfortunate accident occurred. Their captain, the team’s backbone and main shooter, Chyi was injured after being pushed in the air by the opponents. This became the turning point for the team – Cheryl cut and drew gaps for her teammates as the new left back Nichelle saved many crucial shots.
Spurred by the pain of losing one important team mate, the girls worked doubly hard to make their captain proud. Each player, including the freshies, put up a strong front which won the admiration of the supporters.
Despite the injury, the team managed to stay composed and took home their first victory of the season – the first of many to come. The girls won the match with a score of 18-9, what a turnover! Congrats girls, you definitely made your captains proud!
Catch these fighters at the SRC courts this Wednesday (29/01) fighting against RH at 830PM!
January 23, 2020
Written by Koh Zhi Min