IHG 19/20 Week 4
Volleyball (M): KR 1 – TH 3
The Kent Ridge volleyballers laced up and prepared for their game against the competition’s favourites Temasek Hall – a formidable opponent that they had to defeat to gain a favourable position further in the competition.
The first set proved a challenge for both teams, with IVP superstars Le Ye and Han Bin in the line-up, KR still faced problems with their own defence against the thunderous opponents. Le Ye started the game strong, showing off his athleticism as he spiked the ball with such an intensity that it left silence from the opponents in his wake. The widow maker proceeded to bag another large number of points (slightly shy of his current demerit points) in the first set.
Han Bin also put on a show for the crowd of white and blue, his formidable defence coupled with his clean shots kept KR afloat throughout the five sets, securing us the second set despite Temasek Hall’s tall and athletic volleyballers.
Biz King and teenage heartthrob Jeddy Yew also outsmarted the opponents, setting a few balls over, landing the ball comfortably into the opponent’s court before they could notice. Jeddy was also responsible for the many amazing spikes executed by the teammates by his key position as a setter in the game.
Not to be outshone despite recently being back from exchange, Chew Sze Lin held the team steady with his many years of experience in IHG. The previous captain proved his athletic prowess with multiple saves as well as many points with his consistent services and spikes to the opponent. The team was also supported by Glen Lim, the team’s libero. Glen was able to connect many of the opponent’s spikes with his defence and agility at the back court.
In the third set, D block’s snack Maguire stepped into court, previously being held back by IHG’s cap on IVP players. The reticent player immediately made an impact with his precision in setting, creating many opportunities for Le Ye and Nickson to score points while at the same time juking the opponents to create space for KR’s spikers.
Despite their efforts, KR lost the game 3-1. Nevertheless, the KR warriors will be preparing themselves for their next game on 4th of February, where they face off against Raffles Hall. Soldier on, boys!
January 28, 2020
Written by Joseph Tan
Badminton (F): KR 5 – PGP 0
Our female badminton team were up against PGP in an elimination match for a place in the semi-finals.
First up was Cheryl Cheong, having prior experience in badminton and a strong backhand, she was the clear favourite in this match up. Cheryl served up a barrage of smashes and tactical lobs that completely overwhelmed her opponent. Winning with a comfortable aggregate, KR took an early lead.
Second up was our doubles team, with the captain Amanda Isabelle and Shermin taking the courts. Once again our ladies were just too robust and athletic for PGP to handle. The more PGP smashes, the better our ladies returns with carefully placed shots, flustering their already worn out opponents.
KR was in the driving seat from the start and won with a dominant score line.
Wen Shien was up next for our second singles. She is a badminton prodigy with an ice-cool temperament and ferocious smash, which was abundantly clear as the match went on. At one point, the opponent tried a trick serve to rattle our star player, but she only read the play and smashed back. Her opponent looked up in shock at her amazing read and quick footwork.
Making light work of her opponent, KR took a 3-0 lead.
Yi Zhang and Lim Ting suited up for their doubles game against a formidable opponent. It was an intense first half where the score was an even 8-8. However, after a team talk from our captain, settling their nerves, they went back in and won comfortably with a new game plan
Yoke Peng was last and with a 4-0 lead, she was determined to ride on the strong momentum and finish the game off as the icing on the cake. Wasting no time, she quickly demolished her opponent, blitzing her with acrobatic serves and smashes. By the halfway mark, Yoke Peng was in the driving seat and it was just a matter of how long it would take to win.
January 29, 2020
Soccer (M): KR 1 – EH 1
In a battle to top the group, our KR football boys played against Eusoff Hall on Wednesday night in a thrilling encounter. KR started the game with Yun Liang (GK), Tze Lok, Joshua, Shi Jie, Nic Tan (DEF), Miguel, Thomas, Carman (MID), Zong Luck, Alan, Si Han (FWD).
A perpetual downpour throughout the day caused a 1.5-hour delay to the kick-off time. As the rain finally relented slightly, the game begun and the boys battled on the sodden, waterlogged pitch against EH, with the KR supporters cheering fiercely under the bad weather. EH got off to a strong start, keeping KR backed up against their own goal as our boys found it difficult to advance the ball. KR continued to deal with the heavy pressure for the first 15 minutes, with the backline making clearance after clearance. Unfortunately, EH finally broke through when a mistake was made by KR’s defence, and the striker put away a one-on-one chance against Yun Liang.
Having fallen a goal down, the KR boys regathered quickly, despite not attacking much in the first half. They slowly settled into the game more, with Joshua making some crunching tackles and the midfielders dealing with most of EH’s build-up quickly. KR saw the first half through and the teams went into the break with the score at 1-0 to EH.
In the second half, the KR boys came out gunning for an equaliser, with more attacking. Mave was substituted in for Si Han as KR pressed EH harder, gaining more control of the game. Ten minutes in, a brilliant individual effort saw Carman receiving a pass in the middle of the park and turn past two EH midfielders, before bursting between the EH centre-backs and slipping the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net. The KR crowd burst into excitement as they levelled the score to a tie at 1-1.
Now, it was anyone’s game as both teams went for the win. End to end action ensued, where Carman continued getting past tackles and trying on goal. A free kick by Carman went just wide of the mark. EH also found more space to attack, as a great curling effort to the top corner forced a magnificent save out of Yun Liang. Arhdoo was brought on for Alan and Wilbert for Zong Luck, as KR pushed for another goal. Providing threatening plays from the wing, Arhdoo found Miguel with a good cross, but the EH defence came in with a timely tackle. Mave also forced an error by the EH keeper but failed to capitalise on it after some hard running.
In the final minutes of the game, EH had great chances but KR’s defence continued to hold strong. Another swerving shot from outside the box went just past the post and into the side net, and more efforts from them were blocked by last-ditch tackles by Shi Jie and Joshua. The final whistle blew with both teams failing to find a winning goal, with the score at 1-1. With the hard-fought result, the KR football boys finish second in the group and will face Sheares Hall in the semi-final on the 5th of February (Wednesday).
January 29, 2020
Written by Miguel Toe
Handball (M): KR 22 – RH 21
Last Friday, our handball team (M) was up against Raffles Hall in the highly anticipated handball semifinals.
The first half was a tight game with both teams trading blows. It took a while for our blistering offence to start, but it was only a matter of time before they started getting into the groove of things. KR’s left wing Ying Hao made light work of his opponent with skilful footwork and a deft wing shot to bring KR up at half time.
KR took a comfortable lead of 16-11 at half time, but KR was out for blood and never let their foot off the gas.
That night, Leon was the definition of a shot stopper. He was everywhere, making diving saves, acrobatic jumps, rushing out to close out the angle. He was a man on a mission to make sure KR made it through, and RH had no answers for the FYF’s quick reflexes.
Calvin made a slick cut that drew the RH defender to do a back clamp, which led to a two-minute foul for the opponents. With a man down, Zane got a running start and hit a rocket of a shot at the top right corner, which the RH keeper could only watch in despair.
However, KR slowly gave away their lead with various turnovers that allowed RH to catch up. It was evident that RH was gaining momentum and a few more defensive lapses on KR’s end, both teams were tied 21-21 with less than a minute left.
KR had the last possession before time was up. Our boys made a few fast passes and the ball landed on the hands of our ace, Siew Wei, who whipped the ball from the 9m mark. Ice in his veins, making one of the most clutch shots in recent history, the shot blasted to the back of the goal, winning it for KR in the dying seconds. Final score 21-22 to KR.
Congratulations to our handball team on their well-deserved win!
January 31, 2020
Handball (F): KR 7 – RH 8
With the team’s core player, Chyi, out of the game, our handball girls went into the second game of the preliminary round in jitters. Despite the setback, our girls still took the court with courage and started the game in full faith. The first line-up consisted of Rindy (left wing), Cheryl (left back), Zenna (centre), Zhi Min (right back), Nat Ong (right wing), Doro (pivot) and Nichelle (keeper).
In the first half, Zhi Min’s attempts to put the team at ease were futile due to her inconsistent shots. Thankfully, Nat Ong scored two goals in the first half to put the team in a two goal lead by half-time. The first half ended with a score of 5-3 to KR. Shoutout to Nichelle who took one for the team and made many beautiful and crucial saves!
The second half saw fatigue catching up with our girls, as they started to drop more balls and made more mistakes. Despite their best efforts to defend and attack, our girls eventually lost to RH with a score of 7-8. However, losing the match did little to affect their placing, as our girls still topped the group and will be playing the semi-finals.
Congrats to Janine, Natalie and Emma who made their debut on court in this game; you girls did so well and we hope you had fun!
Catch our handball girls in action this week as they play their semi-finals against SH, and battle it out for the title of “The HMK Queens”. Let’s go girls, play your hearts out!
January 31, 2020 Written by Koh Zhi Min