Written by: Stephanie Yeo
Our KE7 female badminton team faced off with Sheares Hall (SH) on a calm evening on the 9th of February. After a sumptuous Chinese New Year hall dinner that filled their energy reserves, the girls made their way down to MPSH 5, where the battle was to be held. I arrived just in time to see them warming up, practicing their services and strokes.
First to play was Liu Si, in a singles match. She was a bundle of nerves, and had every reason to feel nervous as her opponent was an IVP player. Our other female players continued to shout words of encouragement throughout her whole match, which helped calm her down. Alas, Liu Si was no match for her opponent’s consistent strokes and smashes. She actually had a few good shots, but they unfortunately went out of court, and thus conceded 4-21, 1-21.
Up next were dynamic duo Mae Yue and Cherie in a doubles match. The 2 girls were seasoned players, and had a tough match ahead of them. Teamwork is very crucial in a doubles match, as you would not want both players lunging for the shuttlecock at the same time, losing points. The girls easily won their first set 21-9 thanks to their powerful forehand smashes. However, the score margin narrowed in the second set as SH stepped up their game. The duo varied their game play to a larger extent, sending the shuttlecock near the net or far back in the court to make their opponents run more. Finally, we emerged victorious with a score of 22-20!
Cherie and Mae Yue!
The win lifted everyone’s spirit, and everyone was all smiles. The third match of the evening saw Stephanie battling a petite SH girl. A book is definitely not to be judged by its cover though, as it turned out that Stephanie’s opponent often hit high and far balls. Perhaps her opponent managed to figure out her strategy and weakness by the second set, and was thus defeated 13-21, 4-21.
The second last match of the day featured April and Jiyuan in a doubles match. Both of them had better chemistry than their opponent, who didn’t communicate as well and kept going for the ball at the same time. Making use of SH’s Achilles’ heel, the girls won the first set 21-9. In the second set however, SH came back stronger as the girls had to fight harder to score against. SH put more pressure on KE to close the score gap. Then again, teamwork was still the crucial factor and we won 21-13. Second win to KE!
Jiyuan and April in play.
I must say the final match of the day was quite nail-biting, as it would determine if we could enter the semis. In a surprising turn of events, Png Ning’s opponent was a former KEviian. The first set went to SH as the opponent had more powerful serves and Png Ning wasn’t quick enough to go for the hit. However with SH’s energy draining fast, Png Ning managed to overcome her opponent by a narrow gap 21-19 in the second set. By now, everyone was jumping up and down in excitement as the tiebreaker match began. Fatigue had already set in for both sides, and they volleyed the shuttlecock back and forth, waiting for each other to make a mistake. However, SH dominated due to her strength of serves and a tired Png Ning did her best to defend against them. The final score was 7-21, 21-19, 6-21.
It was a really close call for our girls – their performance had been one of the best in recent years. A big thumbs up to their effort, teamwork and encouragement on court. I am sure they will come back even stronger and more determined next IHG!
