IHG Finals Szn

Touch Rugby (M) Final: KR vs EH

Our KR Touch Rugby boys faced off with defending champions Eusoff last Sunday in the final. Our boys in blue put up a formidable fight; a remarkable feat considering how little they trained as compared to their opponents.

Going into extra time not once, but TWICE, the game dragged on for almost an hour before plunging into sudden death. Despite being relatively less experienced than their opponents, from the get-go, it was clear that the boys were ready to put their bodies on the line (literally).

The starting line consisted of John and Jeremy playing as middles, supported by Langton and Andre. The line kept their composure throughout their game, constantly finding ways to exploit the gaps in Eusoff’s defence. Eusoff kept their defence tight, often maxing out the full 6 touches right when we were at the tryline. However, our boys persisted, with Langton staying wide at the link which allowed him to run through the gap and score.

For the second line, we had Derek, Yiqi, Koi and Zhe Ying running the play. A good mix of experience and speed, the line drove the ball forward, gaining ground due to the speedy advances of Zhe Ying, also known as the ankle-breaker. At one point, after receiving the ball from YiQi, his tracker instincts kicked in as he raced toward the tryline. The Eusoff link gave chase but slipped, eventually lying on the ground with his arms outstretched in what looked like an attempt to sunbath.

The last line saw Maverick, Zach, Marcus and Jintat taking on EH. With seniors Maverick and Jintat at the helm, it put freshmen Zach and Marcus at ease, which was easily seen through their undeniable chemistry on the field. Zach, in particular, stood out for his special talent in giving the EH team heart attacks. For every point Eusoff scored, KR scored another. As the second half came to a close, the final score was tied at 5-5, requiring the match to go into extra time.

With less than a minute left, it looked as if Eusoff had the game in the bag, with the score in their favour at 9-8. Moreover, KR only had one touch left. With the odds so blatantly stacked against us, our miracle came in the form of Zach. As if he appeared out of thin air, he ran the ball down, burning the links to clutch a game-saving try for KR, putting the score at 9-9.

The teams now had to play an extra extra time. Another nail-biting moment came about when the last lines were playing in the final minute, when Eusoff scored a contentious try. After much deliberation, the referee decided to give the score to EH, once again locking us in yet another tie at 11-11.

Not wanting to spend another hour under the sweltering heat, it was mandated that the first team who scores will be declared the winner. Despite our boys in blue giving their all, EH eventually emerged as the winner, scoring the last try of the match.

While the match was filled with tension and contention on both ends, there is no doubt that the one thing both teams can agree on was that it was a hell of a match. The tenacity and grit displayed by our boys was truly inspiring. 2nd place isn’t that bad for a non-sports hall, good job boys!

Final Score: KR 11-12 EH (written by Charmaine Keasberry)

Touch Rugby (F) Final: KR vs EH

The final obstacle that stood between our KRuggers and consecutive championship titles was the team in yellow. However, on this early Sunday morning with a rare blanket of altocumulus clouds in the sky, our girls in blue got to work from the get-go. The first line featured Amanda and Vanessa as middles, with Jia Yi and Janelle filling the link positions.

The Eusoff players had a clear directive from their coach – target Amanda on offence to tire her out and make things easier for them. Theoretically, it was a sound game plan. Amanda was a defensive stalwart on the field, possessing a distinct physical advantage over players from both teams. However, they underestimated her remarkable stamina. Amanda aggressively cut off threats from her opponents, and forced them into numerous errors throughout the game.

Showing incredible teamwork on both offense and defence, KR’s first line kept EH off the scoreboard for the entirety of the first half, while Jia Yi converted a try off a well-executed offensive sequence. Their defence definitely received a boost from D-Block Head Jerome’s fervent and inspiring cries of “Come on KR, touch them! Touch them!” and “Come on, give them some big D!” (note: D as in defence)

Xuan and Xiao Wen helmed the second line as the middles, with Alicia and Yi Ling rounding off the line as links. Barely 1 minute in, captain Xuan converted a try after a smoooooooth fake pass to Alicia on the wing, adding to her trug highlight reel and extending KR’s lead.

EH also shot themselves in the foot with multiple unforced errors. Off one of these errors, Xiao Wen set Yi Ling up on the left wing who then dove to the ground for a try, but unfortunately got touched before succeeding. On the reset, it was Xiao Wen’s turn to sacrifice her body as she did the same for KR’s third try, off some slick back-and-forth passes with Xuan to evade the defender. 3-0.

The third line injected a boost of energy into the game as Angel and Janine filled the middle positions, deftly manoeuvring around their defenders with skill, and setting up their links, Emily and Jeslyn, for numerous scoring opportunities. A smooth sequence involving Angel and Janine saw Emily exploiting a lapse in EH’s defence to sneak in for KR’s fourth try.

The second half saw more of the same as KR threatened to break through EH’s defence time and time again, maintaining the same level of tenacity and aggressiveness. A few lapses in concentration allowed EH to convert 2 tries to pull the score up, but it was too little, too late – the game was already in our bag.

For a team that did not even have a coach till winter to seal the gold, our KRuggers have once again demonstrated our sheer dominance on the field in a repeat of last year’s triumphant IHG campaign. Job well done, KR Warriors!

Final Score: KR 5-2 EH (written by Lin Bak Hin)\

Squash (M) Final: KR vs TH

Having already beaten TH in the prelims, the stage was set for our squash boys to bring home the first male gold this IHG szn as they took on the hall in white again in the finals.

KR’s superstar Reuben started off strong, thumping his opponent with a resounding scoreline of 3-0. Once again displaying questionable fashion sense by wearing a “Mr Happy” jersey, he definitely gave the boys in blue something to be happy about, as we found ourselves 1-0 up in no time at all.

Following a shaky performance against RH in the semis, hotshot Brandon looked to redeem himself on the grandest of stages. He started well, stringing together a multitude of points with a good basic game. From there, the game snowballed in his favour as his confidence only grew, and he was able to sweep his game 3-0 as well.

Our third tie saw a rematch between Jia Wen and his TH opponent in the group stages. Jia Wen started slow, needing a set to find his rhythm. The next 2 sets were anyone’s game, as both players found themselves exchanging seismic blows of equal magnitude. Eventually, Jia Wen found himself narrowly edged out once again.

Up next was Russell, who started the 4th tie well by bagging the first set, much to the surprise of the majority. He too started the second set well, and it looked like an upset against TH was on the cards for the second time running. However, lady luck deserted our captain when he needed it most, as a few unlucky bounces swung the momentum in his opponent’s favour and started to take a toll on Russ’ physicality.

With that, the score was now 2-2, and the pressure was on Ethan to clinch the deciding tie and bring back the much-coveted gold for the boys.

Using the first set to find his groove, Ethan found himself trading point for point in the opening stages of the first. However, he never looked back after hitting his stride, as he sailed to an unassailable lead and took the first 2 sets with relative ease. The third set got underway with 2 dodgy decisions by the referee which favoured our opponents. Unfazed in the slightest, Ethan pulled a masterclass out of the bag and went on an 11-point run to dominate the final set, whipping out a highlight-reel-worthy split white hitting an inch-perfect winner while at it. The gold was ours!

With that, our Squash boys reached the fabled top step of the podium. A huge congratulations to this team for living up to the hype and bringing another gold to the better side of HMK terrace!

Final Score: KR 3-2 TH (written by Ethan Liew)

Badminton (M) Semi-Final: KR vs EH

Last Thursday, our shuttlers were up against Eusoff Hall in a nail-biting Semi-Finals match. Despite historical results being in Eusoff’s favour, our boys marched in unfazed with the KRonfidence that they could emerge victorious.

Nora, our first singles, put up a valiant fight, but alas, was ousted by the player from EH leading us to trail 1-0 at the start. Despite being behind in terms of experience, Nora continued to push forward with his unwavering determination to win!

Moving on, our first doubles of D-Block dominator Shi Cong and Ting Yang put up a formidable challenge against their stronger opponents. Despite EH’s firepower, the duo never backed down, remaining optimistic of a KR comeback, although they ultimately fell and gave a 2-0 lead to EH.

With all hopes pinned on the next singles to shift the game in our favour; Joshua Cheng enters the court with an ice-cool disposition, annihilating his opponent in both sets with his precise serves and staggering smashes. When asked about what went on in his mind during the match, he had this to say: "we cant lose 5-0 to Eusoff every year its embarrassing”. Fella definitely made KR proud!

Next up, our second doubles pair of Joshua Chin and Chris Langton (albeit being new to the sport, could honestly scare any opponent away without even holding a racket) persevered on with an awe-inspiring display of fortitude, making a strong attempt to level the score with their chemistry and show-stopping smashes. However, they also fell short, and our boys’ hopes of making the final were dashed.

While the shuttlers may have lost the overall match, each player showed great determination and skill. We’re glad that the team as a whole exhibited admirable team spirit and came out more bonded through fun and banter throughout the season. Good job guys!

Final Score: KR 1-4 EH (written by Russell Wang)

Tennis (F): KR vs RH

With IHG coming to an end, each hall prepares their best athletes for a final push on the battle grounds. Our tennis girls valiantly entered the courts against Raffles Hall, along with the unpredictable weather that could potentially distract them from winning.

Representing us was Claudia and football captains, Cheryllimlim and Hui, who showed that they were not just beasts only on the football field. Despite the partially slippery floor, all of them fought passionately against their opponents just like flames on the wet grounds. An experienced player, Claudia was confident and quick on the courts. Eyeing her opponent’s movements, every step she took was quickly calculated towards a fast and strong reply. Though she lost, with the final score at 6-9, she exhibited confidence that every KResident would be proud of.

An enthusiastic tennis freshie, Limlim was extremely excited to play her first ever match. Despite her wrist injury, she persevered through the pain and returned her opponents shots with utmost gusto. However, her experienced opponent made it quite a challenge, leaving the final score at 6-9.

Our last singles player, Hui, was on fire. She dominated the court with her powerful attacks that overwhelmed both her opponent as well as the viewers. Loaded with energy, Hui was pouncing around the court as light as a feather. She did KR proud by winning 9-3.

However, it then started to pour heavily. The match ended with Raffles leading 2-1 and the suspense was kept till Monday where our doubles would determine the fate of the match.

Suspense filled the air as our girls re-entered the courts. Although nervous, our two doubles were prepared for anything coming their way. Both doubles exhibited indestructible comradery and chemistry throughout the game, truly manifesting our blue blood spirit. Our tennis captain, Jia-Xin, with Felicia as her partner put up a strong fight against their opponents. With each rally, the anticipation grew as they inched closer to a win. Their unending strength pulled through and the pair emerged victorious, 9-5!

On another court, Rachael and Yuzufries showed no mercy. The court was practically their playground, and the pair maneuvered within it effortlessly. Their opponents fell short against our girls that took the highway to a final win at 9-5.

Our tennis girls made us extremely proud with the final win against RH. Their efforts put into strenuous trainings definitely showed and their sense of accomplishment will reside with us too. Good job girls! Sadly, they lost in the semifinals after that to TH…

Final Score: KR 3-2 RH (written by Sueanne Phee)

Badminton (F) Semi-Final: KR vs EH

Last Saturday’s badminton match saw the Kent Ridge girls face-off against Eusoff in the semi-final. Starting off, the girls were pumped to play with the Eusoff girls as adrenaline rushed through them as they took the courts with confidence, bracing themselves for the finals.

First up, we had Attishya! Being an experienced year 3, she took the courts with no qualms and faced her opponents with great confidence. She put on a valiant fight but was at last ousted by the very experienced Eusoff player. Attishya put on a strong fight against her opponent, showing off the true KR spirit.

Next up, we had our double trouble, Sam and Sherm! Despite displaying their own formidable strength, the opponents’ powerful smashes stayed resolute and our KR players slowly fell behind... Nonetheless, they still put up a display we can all be proud of.

Down 2-0, we had our captain Wen Shien to lead a comeback! With her quick witted and ferocious smashes, she thrashed her opponent within seconds, leaving EH in agony while she smashed vicious returns and serves. Truly the badminton prodigy we know!

Looking to keep KR alive, we had Rachael and Alex up in line. They were up against formidable opponents in an intense match, with their opponents’ barrage of smashes and tactical lobs eventually downing them 21-8. With that, EH had an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Lastly, to salvage some pride for the team, we had our Queen Jiawen back on court! She was determined to ride on with the game and win one for KR as the last player. Wasting no time, she struck the shuttlecock with all her might. Unfortunately, having an extremely experienced opponent did not help things. Her opponent blitzed her with acrobatic serves and smashes, leaving their game to an eventual 21-10 loss for her.

With that, our girls’ journey ended prematurely, but they put up a courageous effort throughout this IHG season. Good job girls!

Final Score: KR 1-4 EH (written by Tan Jie Ting)