Written by: Yeo Kee Juan
Edited by: Chen Kexin and Lydia Ong
Photos by: EusoffWorks
Final Score: Eusoff 3-1 Temasek
Lineup:
1st Singles: Hong Yi
1st Doubles: Bryan Wee, Cheewan
2nd Singles: Russell
2nd Doubles: Carlin, Joash
3rd Singles: Heng Kai
1st Singles: Hong Yi (L/W/W/L/L)
The atmosphere was intense. With the boy’s finals directly after the girl’s, the mood was down. But that definitely did not stop the boys from their usual foolish selfs as they focused on the upcoming match that was about to start. Hong Yi as the captain of this year’s team led on as he started the matches for IHG 20/21. The match was rocky from the start as the opponent continuously scored several points. This resulted in a fast loss of the first set at 11-4. But Hong yi did not give up, he pressed on.
All eyes were on the match as Hong Yi reversed the scores, winning both the second and third set. Yet, that did not come easy with the scores at 13-11 and 11-8 respectively. In the upcoming fourth set, he lost his composure and there was definitely some sense of frustration when outs were called and mistakes made. Despite that, he preserved and composed himself before every serve, doing his best to bring his team victory. While he may have lost the last two sets at 8-11 and 6-11, he did his best where his preserve definitely inspired his supporters.
1st Doubles: Bryan Wee, Cheewan (W/L/W/W)
The LeeWee duo was up next and they are definitely a formidable opponent to face. Yet, it was also a fight between friends as both Bryan Wee and Cheewan knew their opponents. They showed no mercy and fought as respectful table tennis players on the field. One of things I noticed during the game was the adrenaline the players showed after scoring a point. Bryan wee was one such player. In contrast, Cheewan was quieter as he celebrated success quietly and showed disappointments with composure. Their different personalities complimented each other, empowering each other to do better.
As such, they were able to easily win three out four sets at 11-7, 9-11, 11-5 and 11-6. It was clear during the match that Temasek Hall had given up on their duo pair when they saw LeeWee. The cheers were softer and they seemed to have given up. Our team on the other hand never gave up, ensuring that everyone on the court was supported and did their utmost best.
Victory cheers by Cheewan and Bryan after scoring!
2nd Singles: Russell (L/W/L/W/W)
Russell’s match was the highlight of the night. Despite starting his match earlier than Carlin and Joash, he ended his match later than theirs. The match was tied at 2-2 after Russell had managed to clinch two sets at 11-3 and 11-4 while losing two sets at 6-11 and 9-11. The focus and intimidation that Russell exuded was formidable. In my opinion, he won the match because of that never say die attitude and passion that overwhelmed his opponent. His shouts never wavered and only got louder as the match got tougher and closer.
The last set was the deciding match to determine if Eusoff would win this year’s IHG. The pressure was on and it only got worse as the scores were equal all the way to the 13th point. People were watching the match on the live Twitch telecast and there were actually people reading my live Telegram commentary (30+ people btw… I feel very touched). The shouts continued and there was this one TH player that was praying. That was how intense the match was. But Russell did not back down from the pressure. It only fueled him to do better. With that, he won the last set at 15-13, winning the match and winning the finals. Cheers were loud, hugs were given but no COVID19 social distancing rules were broken and we won this match.
2nd Doubles: Carlin, Joash (W/W/W)
Their opponents looked fierce. But fierceness is not synonymous to being good at table tennis. Our pair looked like innocent players but they dominated the game. They committed little errors and won all three sets at 11-9, 11-4 and 11-6. While distracted by Russell’s close match, I was able to note down some highlights of Carlin and Joash’s game.
Carlin was hyped up during the match. He has no ounce of nervousness in his face but was really enjoying the match against TH. After scoring a good shot, he signalled our team for cheers and support. That fuelled his drive as he did a running smash that shocked his opponents. Joash on the other hand was focused. He was in charge of bringing Carlin back to the game and gave no opportunity for the opponent to score against them. With such concentration and energy, their teamwork flourished and they won the second game of the night.
Only strict focus from the best of our duo, Calin and Josh!
3rd Singles: Heng Kai
With Russell’s win, we won 3-1 and won the finals. It was a shame that we were not able to witness some sick plays from Heng Kai, but it's okay. I am sure we will be able watch him flourish in his table tennis career in future!
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