Written by: Jireh Tay
Edited by: Cheng Kai Wen
Photos by: Eusoff Works
As the second match of their group stage, EH aims to win this game to secure a top seat in their group and also their place in the semis this coming Friday. After winning KE yesterday, EH looks to be in good form to extend our winning streak through today’s game. Their line-ups follow similarly from yesterday’s game against KE.
For the first regu, Ethan, Umar, Haiqal, and Nauman steps up in an effort to put EH in an advantageous position. The game opened up to a jittery start as both sides were making plentiful mistakes from service to the attacks as neither seemed to have a grip on the game yet. However, it was KR that made the bigger error as the first set came to a close shave of 17-15. During the second set, KR started to claw back and due to our own mistakes, we let up a set to KR 15-17. Our players suddenly had their switch turned on during the third set as Ethan fired off multiple headers from Haiqal’s sets and Umar served and defended well at the back. The 3rd set went to EH and for the 4th set, Nauman came on as a fresh pair of legs. The substitution proved effective as KR couldn’t find an answer to the beautiful attacking sequence brought out by EH, finishing off the first regu with a neat 15-9 (4th set) in EH’s favour.
Our boys celebrating their point earned against KR.
In the 2nd regu, they stuck with the senior line-up of Keefe, Said, Shawn, CJ.
For the first set, EH masterfully outclassed KR as they battered them to a 15-4 finish. KR was dumbfounded by Shawn’s steep jumping headers and had no answer to that. The second set was a repeat of the first as Said and Keefe held the backline well, not giving KR even a small glimmer of hope while Shawn led the attack to close the set 15-5. EH then did a substitution where CJ came in for Said. The momentum started to shift in the opponent’s favour as they started attacking hard, giving them an 8-point lead of 5-13 in KR’s favour. As all hope seemed lost in the 3rd set, the captain stepped up and decided that he had enough of the opponent’s yapping and ‘SIUUU’ celebrations. He bit back by giving solid serves to the opponents and annihilated their defence. Shawn and CJ also joined in on the buffet of points with their classic set and header sequence. The trio’s stunning teamwork left KR helpless as they brewed a huge comeback of 10 points with Shawn swallowing KR up whole as he finishes up the set with a final header and ending the 3rd set 15-13 in our favour. Dashing all hopes for KR in beating us as we take home the second regu.
King Keefe with his laser-eye focus and absolute precision kick to the ball.
In the third and final regu, we have Tham, Deme, Zaheer, and Jeff. The last regu was played at a slower pace compared to the first two as each side looked to capitalise on the opponent’s mistakes. We proved to be the more patient side as we took the first set 15-13. However, the next two sets went to KR as their serves proved hard for our side to handle, resulting in a 12-15 (2nd set) and 11-15 (3rd set). However, our boys did not give up as they fought and answered back with solid receives by Zaheer and Tham, and great headers by Deme to earn back the 4th set in a 15-13 win in EH's favour. The third regu then boiled down to the fifth and final set of the afternoon as neither side wanted to give it up to the opponent. Both sides played wonderfully but KR gained an edge over us as their serves and spikes got the better of us in an 11-15 finish in KR’s favour.
No ACL no problem. Deme’s head is enough to scare the opponents and gain points in the set.
Sepak Takraw Prelims vs KR
Overall score: 2-1
1st Regu: Ethan, Umar, Haiqal, Nauman
Set 1: 17-15 to EH
Set 2: 15-17 to KR
Set 3: 15-12 to EH
Set 4: 15-9 to EH
2nd Regu: Keefe, Said, Shawn, CJ
Set 1: 15-4 to EH
Set 2: 15-5 to EH
Set 3: 15-13 to EH
3rd Regu: Tham, Zaheer, Deme, Jeff
Set 1: 15-13 to EH
Set 2: 12-15 to KR
Set 3: 11-15 to KR
Set 4: 15-13 to EH
Set 5: 11-15 to KR
The boys gathered for a pre-match pep talk outside MPSH.
It was an exhilarating afternoon after seeing the comebacks and long rallies. EH doesn’t disappoint as we emerge victorious over KR in a 2-1 win. Now, they are keeping their eyes on the prize as they face the second seat of the other group which they hope to win in order to reach the finals. Keep up with IHG Takraw as the semis is this Friday (6/1). Catch it live on SMC Instagram or through the telegram commentary channel. See ya!
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