IHG Updates Week 2 (part I)
Sepak Takraw Semi-Finals: KR vs TH
After a disappointing defeat against Eusoff Hall a night ago, our Takraw boys headed into their semi-finals against Temasek, looking to bounce back and return to the final once again.
The first regu – after a reshuffling of the usual regu line up – comprised of Alvianto, Mave and Sean. They got off to a slow start as they conceded the first and second set to an intimidating TH team. Despite the initial setback, they eventually started finding their rhythm, putting up a tough fight in the third set. The comeback, however, fell short as they conceded the final set 15-11.
Down 1-0, our second regu consisted of the more seasoned players, Howe, Minghao and Jordan. Under immense pressure, they lost the first set 15-3. Just as the odds seemed bleak for KR, our players displayed their true ball skills in the second set, pushing their opponents all the way before just being edged out slightly 15-13.
At this point, it was clear that TH was beginning to lose their composure after multiple forced and unforced errors. The critical third set was won by KR, in a nerve-wrecking series of balls exchanged. This victory was a huge confidence boost for our players, who now exercised better control over the ball.
The fourth set was another exciting game, with Howe’s extremely reliable serves, Jordan’s remarkably consistent sets and Minghao’s clinical kills leaving TH scrambling for the ball. Their opponents were visibly unnerved by KR’s comeback. The 15-13 win left the KR spectators erupting in celebration, while the other end of the MPSH fell contrastingly silent.
Sadly, KR conceded the 5th set to TH 15-10, with the initially close scores slowly widening after a brief disagreement with the referee which left the team disorganised. The night, and our boys’ journey to defend their title, thereby ended prematurely.
It was a tough loss for our boys. Yet, seeing the sheer relief on the TH team’s faces after the match point, we knew that they had definitely given our opponents one hell of a challenge.
Despite the bitter aftertaste, the KR team left the court with optimism for next year’s IHG. After all, most of our line-up had just debuted this season and performed considerably well, a testament to their huge potential. Our boys will definitely be back stronger next year!
Final Score: KR 0-2 TH (written by Toh Yi Yun)
Squash (F) Semi-Finals: KR vs TH
Off the back of a tough loss, our KR squash ladies found themselves up against title contenders, TH, for the semi-finals. Going into this match as clear underdogs, our girls put up a valorous fight against their opponents.
Getting things underway was Michelle, up against the IVP captain. Undeterred, she showed great fighting spirit, able to keep her opponent on her toes throughout the match. Eventually, her opponent’s wealth of experience proved too much, and she succumbed to a tough loss.
Up next was Rachael, who found herself matched up against TH’s badminton IVP player. Rach started strong, matching the firepower from her opponents serves with return-fire of equal ferocity, and was able to nick a set. However, the sustained intensity of her opponent’s shots proved to be too big a hurdle, and Rach fell with a respectable score line of 3-1.
Our third tie featured Squash superstar Shermin who was off to a flying start, as she found herself 2-0 up in no time at all, with her opponent having no answer to her sweetly struck drives and inch-perfect dropshots.
However, what happened next could have went down as the biggest choke of the IHG szn, as she handed her opponent a massive lifeline by dropping the next 2 games, letting her level the score at 2-2. Thankfully, Sherms was able to reach out to the higher powers from above and clutch the all-important 5th set, taking the 3rd tie of this fixture in a rollercoaster of a performance.
The 4th tie pitted Fel’s agility against her opponent’s power, as our tennis hotshot found herself squaring up with an opponent much bigger than herself. Eventually power triumphed, as Fel was unable to sustain a prolonged defense against the barrage of rockets launched from her opponent’s racket.
With the fixture all but over, Jia-Xin stepped on court for one last hurrah. She brought the game to her opponent with her power-packed shots, but her opponent was equal to her punches, eventually edging Jia-Xin out.
With this loss, the curtains now close for our girls. They bow out of IHG with their heads held high, for they showed great spirit throughout this season, and achieved their goal of getting to the semi-finals. Good job girls!
Final Score: KR 1-4 TH (written by Ethan Liew)
Table Tennis (M): KR vs RH
After a defeat at the hands of self-proclaimed ‘sports hall’ Temasek, KR’s indomitable male Table Tennis team was determined to put rivals Raffles Hall away in their subsequent match.
Co-captain Weng Fai kicked off proceedings in the 1st singles, hoping to secure an early lead to inspire the team on to victory. Unfortunately, he fell slightly short as RH bagged a win in the first match of the day.
Hoping to turn the tables and equal the tally, Jerome and Yufei attempted to flaunt their chemistry as they took turns to strike the paddle back and forth, but could not reduce the deficit as RH pulled further away for a 2-0 lead.
Minghao then walked up to the table, knowing his result would decide if KR still had a fighting chance for a comeback. Minghao’s impressively skilful display dazzled his opponent, as RH succumbed to their first defeat. Finally, there was hope, the comeback was on!
Sadly, Yun Liang and Yee Ming could not capitalise on this newfound momentum as RH pulled one back again in the second doubles match. RH now had an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the game.
It then came down to the people’s president Sing Hui, whose masculine poise and death stare struck fear into his RH opponent. With the weight of KR on his shoulders, Sing Hui managed to earn KR their second victory of the night. Unfortunately, this proved insufficient, ending KR’s campaign prematurely.
It may have been a tough campaign for our KR paddlers, but we are proud of them for putting in their best efforts. As Captain Jerome put it ever so nicely for us previously, everything this team does, they do it for the love of their sport. They may have intentionally allowed the other teams to taste victory this campaign, but other halls be wary, for they will be back stronger next year!
Final Score: KR 2-3 RH (written by Kuljiv Singh)
Touch Rugby (F): KR vs KEVII
Our Touch Rugby girls inched one step closer towards retaining their Championship title as they triumphed over KEVII on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, the girls dominated the game and controlled the play from the get-go.
This match was different as the KEVII team only had 7 players. This resulted in two lines, the first line playing a 4v4 and the second line playing a 3v3, instead of the typical 3 lines of 4v4.
Kickstarting the game, KR’s lineup included Amanda and Vanessa as middles, alongside Xiao Wen and Alicia as links. This line showed no mercy and dominated the game from the start, scoring 4 tries within the first 5 minutes. Impressively, they kept almost 80% of the possession and KE players could not break their strong defence. Alicia had sick hands and was able to catch long passes to score on the try line. Our girls were swift and alert, constantly forcing the opponent into 2v1 situations, and scoring with ease.
The second line consisted of Angel, Xuan and Yi Ling. As a 3v3 is a lot more tiring, we needed players with excellent stamina and strategic gameplay. Indeed, our girls did not disappoint. Captain Xuan was intentional with her moves and quick on her feet, barreling through the opponents. With Angel and Yi Ling who were unbelievably fast, this line managed to score 3 tries by the end of their first set. With the tries rolling in, it was no doubt KR was setting themselves up for a resounding victory.
In the second half, the first line scored another 4 tries and the second line scored another 1 try. The girls’ resilience and speed paid off in the end as they stormed to the victory over KEVII.
Their outstanding showing in the second game was summed up by captain Emily “The team fought hard under the blazing sun. Special shout out to our freshie, Alicia who caught and scored more than 4 long passes at the line!” The girls remain unfazed in their IHG journey and will take on TH in the semi-finals on Saturday. Press on girls!
Final Score: KR 12-0 KEVII (written by Anthea Tay)
Table Tennis (F): KR vs EH
Having fallen to Raffles Hall, our Table Tennis girls’ hopes of making the semi-finals now hang by a thread. In a bid to prolong their hopes of advancing, they took on Eusoff Hall in a must-win game.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing outing, Sueanne started the first singles. Despite facing an even tougher opponent this time, she managed to trade blows with her more seasoned opponent for the first few points. However, experience triumphed in the end as she lost the subsequent sets to her EH opponent.
The second match of the day saw the doubles pairing of Xin Yi and Hui Yee trying to even the score for KR. Unfortunately, a slow start meant they found themselves dropping the first 2 sets quickly. Undeterred, they fought hard in the third set to salvage a result for the team, but ultimately fell.
It was now up to Captain Teng Yue to dig her team out of the 2-0 hole. A strong start from her opponent saw Teng Yue down 4-1 in the first set, but she buckled down and tied the game up at 6-6. With the close affair going back and forth between the two, the EH player escaped with the first set 11-9, with a bounce of luck going her way in the set point and just skimming the table.
The setback did not affect the captain however, as Teng Yue continued her brilliant play in the next 2 sets. With her opponent reeling and unable to deal with her shots, Teng Yue took the sets 11-6 and 11-8. She then wrapped up the fourth set, and her game, with an easy 11-6 win. It was now KR 1-2 EH.
With the newfound momentum, the second doubles pairing of Zifang and Rachael tried to complete the comeback. A close contest ensued, with the pair giving it their all. They stayed with their opponents with a fighting chance all game, but eventually fell 11-5, 11-6 and 11-5. Estelle then took the final game of the day, playing for her pride in her first game this season. However, EH once again proved too much as her opponent took the victory.
Out of the running for the semis, the girls have 1 last game against KEVII to end their season on a high.
Final Score: KR 1-4 EH (written by Miguel)
Basketball (F): KR vs TH
Our KRBballaces were up against strong opponents Temasek Hall for their second preliminary match last Saturday afternoon.
The first line consisted of Amanda, Xuan, Wen Shien and Jewel, who replaced Xuan in the second half. The game was intense with strong defense by both halls. The usual calm and fearless Shien exclaimed : “They were so big and strong. I flew back when they pushed me.” Yikes. The players from TH probably felt the same about Amanda, who took care of two defenders on her own. The team put up a great fight and came close to winning the first set.
Next line consisted of Xiaowen, Claudia, Cheryl and Janelle. Up against more experienced players, our bball girls had put in respectable amounts of effort throughout the entire set. The team fought hard and did not back down until their opponents emerged victorious from the court.
Lastly, we had Attishya, Melboey, Sihan and Hazel on court for the final set. Despite going on court knowing KR had lost the match, the girls still showed amazing fighting spirit. Watching Hazel play might have given you some anxiety as she shoots without looking at the net. However, confident of her abilities from the countless trainings, she flaunts her skills of scoring without looking and impresses the team. Despite that miraculous shot of the day, the match ended with the last set going to our opponents.
It was a good fight put up by our girls against TH. With only one day left to the semi-finals, our KRBballaces have been preparing themselves by learning from the mistakes they have made to improve their layups and game play.
Final Score: KR 0-3 TH (written by Kim Neo)