Written By: Malcolm Rhys Lim Edited By: Valerie Chua & Jolene Wong Photographs By: EusoffWorks
Over on the other court, our female shuttlers were up against arch-rivals Temasek hall.
Badminton (F) lineup:
1st singles: Elis
1st doubles: Joanna and Wei Lynn
2nd singles: Jia En
2nd doubles: Elisabeth and Yuling
3rd singles: Natalie
In the first match for the girls, superstar freshie Elis was pumped up and ready to go. She jumped out to an early lead against her opponent with most of her shots landing right on the back line of the court. Some say she attended precision firing courses before. Although her opponent’s shots were also well-placed, Elis’ agility allowed her to reach the shuttle that most players would have given up on. Elis showed that defence is truly the best offence as her opponent could not sneak the shuttle past her. It was like she was all over the court! One moment she was sprawling to recover a drop shot and the next she was all the way at the back firing a smash to her opponent. Tired and exhausted, her opponent conceded the first set with a score of 21-17.
The next set proved even more decisive for Elis as her opponent seemed to be tiring out. Our Eusoff training regime is truly top notch as our players never seem to tire. Shot after shot, the shuttle landed on the Temasek side of the court. Elis seemed to pick up on her opponents uncertainty, like a wolf smelling prey and she pounced on it, taking the set 21-12.
Final score: 21-17, 21-12
Eusoff 1 – 0 TH
Superstar IVP freshie Elis in full focus.
Next up for the girls was the senior pairing comprising Captain Joanna and Wei Lynn. They got off to a rough start in what would prove to be the most exciting match of the day. After taking a 7-3 lead in the first part of the set, they appeared to let their foot of the pedal and allowed the TH pair to take a lead with 6 unanswered points. Sensing something was amiss, they talked things out during the water break and there was a notable improvement as they matched TH point for point. However, the unanswered points in the first part of the set proved decisive as TH took the first set 21-18.
Things were looking grim as the second set started, with TH taking an early advantage. Our Eusoff “sea of yellow” decided it was time to take matters into their own hands and started going wild each time Joanna and Wei Lynn scored a point. Spurred on by the strong support, Joanna and Wei Lynn looked rejuvenated as they scored 5 points in a row. The comeback was on. Point by point they inched closer to victory as the TH pairing started to crack. Unforced errors and shakes of the head from the TH pair gave Joanna and Wei Lynn even more confidence and they took the second set 21-18.
Now, it was do or die for Joanna and Wei Lynn in the final set. Both sides were tensed up and resulted in shots from both sides being pulled wide. The sea of yellow continued to cheer Joanna and Wei Lynn on and it seemed to be having an effect on the TH pair as they just could defend against Joanna’s heavy smashes. Discouraged and distraught, they looked for their own supporters, but they were barely audible over the cheers from the sea of yellow. Fair play to Joanna and Wei Lynn for the marvellous comeback win that left the Temasek crowd subdued.
Final score: 18-21, 21-18, 21-12
Eusoff 2 – 0 TH
Formidable duo looking on to attack.
In the third match for the girls, IVP superstar Jia En looked to take the win home for Eusoff. The match was lopsided from the get-go, with Jia En racing out to a 6-1 lead. Her opponent proved no match for her and looked rather inexperienced in comparison to her. Jia En was all smiles throughout the match as she read all of her opponent’s shots and was there even before the shuttle. In a matter of minutes, the first set was over, with Jia En winning 21- 6.
The second set was no different from the first. This reporter could not tell if Jia En was playing badminton or taking a stroll in the park. Her strong smashes left the supporters awe-struck with someone from the crowd even saying, “her smash like stronger than Charles”. Maybe we have a new MONSTER BICEPS to look out for. Jia En took the final point of the set with finesse, a lovely drop shot that her opponent could not get.
Final score: 21-6, 21-9
Eusoff 3 – 0 TH
Jia En executing a smash in a perfect form.
With the match being won already, the next doubles pair of Elisabeth and Yu Ling went out to have some fun. Perhaps being a new pairing, they seemed to have some early communication errors and it proved costly as the TH pair took the lead 11-5. Things improved after the water break but TH held on to the lead and eventually took the set 21-13.
The second set saw Elisabeth and Yu Ling playing much better. Their combinations were very impressive as Elisabeth would hit a well-placed shot which would result in an easy smash for the powerful Yu Ling. They managed to pull this off a few times and it yielded the results as they took a 14-12 lead. The set was still very close however and back and forth points saw them go to a tie breaker. Elisabeth and Yu Ling eventually took the set 22-20 as the TH player hit the shuttle wide on the final point.
Elisabeth and Yu Ling continued their brilliant combinations, but the TH girls seemed to have learnt their lesson and were prepared for it in the third set. Well-placed shots from TH left both Elisabeth and Yu Ling scrambling to the same side which unfortunately left the other half of the court open. Elisabeth and Yu Ling fought back but sadly lost the final set.
Veteran Yu Ling (front) and Eli (back) looking to start the service.
Final score: 13-21, 22-20, 21-15
Eusoff 3 – 1 TH
In the final match of the day, freshie Natalie got off to a rough start. Her TH opponent, who was much bigger than her, was dictating proceedings her with powerful shots to the back of the court. Natalie quickly figured out a game plan against her opponent which was to keep hitting drop shots and by doing so she inched back closer into the game. However, her TH opponent also gradually understood what she was doing and stayed closer to the net, resulting in TH taking the first set 21-15.
Stamina looked to be a key factor in this match up as Natalie and her opponent went toe-to-toe. Natalie picked up on this and started moving her opponent even more around the court in an effort to tire her out. The TH opponent’s smashes were getting weaker throughout the set and Natalie started to pull ahead. Shot to the back of the court followed by a drop shot was the recipe to victory and Natalie was on auto-pilot as she eventually took the set 21-14.
The third set started with this match being the only one being played as all the other matches had ended. With everybody watching on, both girls gave it their all and the TH girl managed to find a second wind from somewhere within. Natalie too did not give up and each point was hard-earned with Natalie winning a 13-shot rally. Tied at 20 all, Natalie hit the shuttle wide and her opponent had match point. Unfazed, Natalie answered with a beautiful drop shot that her opponent had no answer to. This proved the deciding point in the game as Natalie went on to win the next 2 points and eventually the match.
Freshie Natalie was all composed and eventually took Eusoff’s fourth set.
Final Score: 15-21, 21-14, 23-21
Eusoff 4 – 1 TH
Well done to our Eusoff shuttlers. All the best for the next match!
Comentarios