Written by: Alvin Tor
Edited by: Cheng Kai Wen
Photos by: Eusoff Works
1st singles: Oscar (21-13, 21-12)
Oscar started off the first set in a commanding fashion, smashing the first shuttle right away to set the tone. His opponent was no pushover, he made several smart shots and loud smashes. Their rallies were long and intense despite the score difference, however Oscar was more resilient for each point and was definitely more aggressive whenever he had the chance, allowing him to take the first set 21-13.
Oscar with his quick footing!
The theme remained the same for the second set. With long rallies on both sides for multiple points that sees Oscar seizing most of them as he was more willing to take risks. Aggressively jump smashing that was too fast for his opponent while his opponent was more passive and chose to safely return the shuttle to reset the point in hopes of catching Oscar off guard. However, a seasoned player such as Oscar would make no such errors as he leaves no room for his opponent to exploit despite his best attempts to defend each point. Oscar won the second set 21-12.
1st doubles: Zikai and Sizheng (24-22, 21-16)
Zikai and Sizheng found themselves trailing really early on with the score gap being as wide as 8-14. The morale was high on Sheares side but Zikai and Sizheng did not give up hope as they battled for each point. Subsequently, a combination of smart plays and errors from Sheares saw them catching up to 17-17. The game was intense but the dynamic duo composure really paid off as they eventually close the first set with a tight score of 24-22. The second set was equally intense at the start, if it was one thing that separated the two teams, it was their composure for each point. Sheares were getting more hasty to finish points instead of enduring the long rallies, Zikai and Sizheng took advantage of that and capitalized on many of their errors with beautiful smashes and sharp corner shots, allowing them to win the second set 21-16.
Dynamic doubles #1
2nd single: Randall (28-26,21-8)
As the first doubles were ongoing, Randall found himself in one of the closest games. He had a decent lead at the start of the game but his opponent fought hard and managed to come back. They then battled point by point and the two were rather equal in terms of skills. The score going all the way until 26-26 when it is supposed to end at 21 is a testament of both players’ resilience for each match point. However, Randall made two beautiful smashes at the end, one being too fast for his opponent to react and the other barely touching the line, allowing him to win the first 28-26. It was not the same thing for the second set, the opponent perhaps exhausted from the first long arduous set was nowhere near as aggressive as he was in the first set. Randall easily took control of the game and his opponent found himself only being able to react to Randall’s plays without seizing control of the pace and rhythm of the game. The second set ended quickly and painlessly for them with a score of 21-8.
Randall going at it for every smash.
2nd double: Lionel and Cyrus (21-12 ,22-20)
King Lionel and Notable freshie Cyrus made their debut duo appearance in this game. The left handed Cyrus proved to be a hurdle for Sheares as he was able to smash and retrieve shots that usually would be harder for right handers. The shuttle seemed to be always comfortably in front of him as Cyrus can utilise his forehand swing to obtain lots of points in the process. The duo pulled away and never let up, ending the first set 21-12. The second set saw Shearse making some adjustments and the game was much closer. Cyrus made a couple uncharacteristic first touch errors and service errors, causing them to be trailing with a significant score difference but king Lionel took matters to his own hand as he made beautiful smashes, notably the corner to corner smashes that proved too much for the Sheares duo. They tried their best to prevent Lionel from being in position to smash but Cyrus is no weakling either as they were unable to answer his smashes and eventually the featured duo won the second 22-20. A close game nonetheless.
Jumping as high as the sky to smash as hard as he can.
3rd singles: Danson (21-15,19-21,21-18)
Danson was clearly the more athletic person as he was faster and stronger than his opponent. He smashed the shuttle with lightning speed and made several creative shots that threw his opponent off, causing him to unintentionally return the shuttle with the height and speed that allowed Danson to continue smashing relentlessly. Danson took the first set easily with a score of 21-15. However, it seems that the relentless smashing took a toll on Danson as he was visibly more fatigued in the second set. Perhaps a little impatient, he took many aggressive smashes that were a tad bit risky, causing him to smash into the net or smashing it out on several occasions. It was a close set nonetheless but the errors proved to be too fatal as Sheares took the second set 19-21. The third set was equally as close as both players were already tired and in the early part of the game, Danson dived for the shuttle and scraped his leg, causing him to be noticeably in pain. However, he championed on and continued the game, not letting his injury hinder him, he hustled for every point and made accurate pin-point smashes that allowed him to seal the third set with a score of 21-18.
Resilience is his middle name as he trudges on with injuries.
With this 5-0 win, Eusoff Hall would advance to the finals to face Temasek again which they had previously lost in a really close game, losing narrowly 2-3. Do come down to support them as I guarantee you a close game once again filled with high energy.
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