|
Match
|
KE vs KR
|
Sun, 11/01/09
|
|
Softball
|
King Edward VII |
Kent Ridge Hall |
| Score |
10 |
8 |
|
Match
|
KE vs EH
|
Sun, 11/01/09
|
|
Softball
|
King Edward VII |
Eusoff Hall |
| Score |
5 |
8 |
|
Semi Finals Match
|
KE vs SH
|
Sun, 11/01/09
|
| First Game |
King Edward VII |
Sheares Hall |
| 1st Half |
14 |
21 |
| 2nd Half |
12 |
21 |
| Second Game |
King Edward VII |
Sheares Hall |
| 1st Half |
18 |
21 |
| 2nd Half |
17 |
21 |
SOFTBALL
Writer: Vui Yin (a Softball player as well)
Editor: KP
11th of January 2009 had been a busy day for our fellow King Edward VII Hall Softball Team. They faced two other halls in IHG – Kent Ridge and Eusoff. The members came down earlier for warm ups before the game. Around 12.30pm, the first match started. For this game, KE had the opportunity to field first. The game was umpired by a representative from Sheares. Within the innings, the KE team fielded and batted as best as they could. In fact, their performance was going uphill just like a an exponential graph. For the first inning, Jia Ying would have won a run but due to her sliding over the home base, it was not counted. This is a rule set by the Convening Committee – by setting the rules of no sliding at home and first base. During fielding, the KE team tried to prevent KR from having any run back to home and at the same time, getting the batter out of the game. For KE’s fielding, Mei Hui was the pitcher. After five innings, the KE team triumphed over KR with the score of 10 runs against 8 runs.
Later, for the second game, it was KE against EH – which began around 5.15 in the evening. KE fielded first. For the first innings, KE fielded and managed to get three opponents out of the game before EH had any runs – not even a base more than the first base. However, EH was not weak either. They, too, managed to get three KE players out of the game before KE scored any run. Hence, the first inning ended with 0 – 0. As the game followed up, EH managed to score some runs first due to a few mistakes by KE players. During batting, the KE players hit well, but unfortunately, EH infield players were quite strong at fielding, hence they could catch the ball in time and throw it back to first base before the batter ran in. For fly balls, EH managed to catch it almost all the time, forcing KE players out of the game.
From the beginning of the game, KE seemed to be in a less than desirable condition. In one inning, during fielding, a KE player was pushed roughly by an EH player – hence EH received a warning. There were also incidents where EH played it rough and nearly caused some unwanted conflicts. Luckily, after some time, the Raffles Hall umpire managed to calm everyone down and the game continued. Later on, the sky turned dark, threatening an impending downpour but the game raged on. It was then that KE finally managed to pull up near the end of the game by earning runs. Unfortunately, the game was near the end and although KE did pull up the scores, the game ended with 8 runs for EH and 5 runs for KE.
In between, Anand slid over third base and was injured. From this game, it was learnt that sportsmanship is very important. This match was a close match, in which all supporters and players were at the edge of their seats (if any) waiting for the next move. Our players did not disappoint as they slid, dived and displayed what it means to be part of the KE Softball Team.
It is a pleasure for me to thank the KE supporters and the Welfare Committee for coming down to show your support and some help! They gave the team so much support and ignited the KE spirit that was in us. The Welfare Committee had also sent in help when the players were injured, tired or needed refreshments. A Big Thank You To You, Welfare Committee!
SEPAK TAKRAW SEMIS
Writer: Akhilesh
Editor: KP
Sunday morning saw the first Semi Final for the IHG 2009 season and it was even more special for KEVIIans because the KE7 Sepak Takraw team was part of it. They played against Kent Ridge Hall and Raffles Hall, losing to the former and winning against the latter, on the 4th of January 2009. The team that was lead by Hai Long fought till the very end, but was not able to emerge as the victor. They fell short to the Sheares Hall team, which was having their perfect run.
At 9 am on the 11th of January, MPSH 6 had come alive for the match between KE7 and Sheares. It was a battle between orange and red, as could be seen when the players were warming up before the game. There was plenty of support for both teams, which motivated the players to perform. The atmosphere was electric as the two teams moved into their respective halves of the court for the start of proceedings.
KE served and the ball was quickly and strategically hit into one of the gaps in the Sheares half to score the first point. The second serve from KE was lobbed back and it fell behind the boundary, thus earning KE a 2-0 lead. The match slowly picked up and Sheares fought their way back to lead 15-8 when the first Time-out was called. The players at the sidelines did not lose the opportunity to pass on any information about the opponents’ style of playing, a common practice during every Time-out. The game was resumed in 2 minutes and at the end of the first set the score was 21 – 14 to Sheares Hall. The first set of the first set of the first match had proved to be a very exciting and eventful one. The second set was pretty similar in all the possible contexts, except for the fact that Sheares ended the game faster at 21 – 12. Despite the best efforts of the warriors in red, Sheares Hall snatched the first match 2 – 0.
KE hoped to fight back in the second game. This match did not start as well as the previous one for KE. But within the first 5 points of the game Hai Long’s men had come up to the challenge. This game was much faster than the first and the ball was being moved from one half of the court to the other under a few seconds. Legs were flying and head were bobbing so as to get to the ball early and place the shot perfectly. This match saw a lot of daring moves from both sides. Kills were made repeatedly, but they were picked up even before the ‘killer’ had completed the shot. The first set came to an end at 21 – 18 to Sheares. This game was a true entertainer with a lot of drama as one could see swears mouthed by many of the players under their breaths. It was gripping till the last serve from Sheares Hall which landed short of the KE attacker. The Sheares supporter erupted with joy as their Hall ended the match with a score of 21 – 17.
Though Sheares Hall had won the Semi Final, the KEVIIans came back for the third match. This was a match for self respect. The game started and KE found themself lagging once again. A large number of substitutions were made in this game as both captains thought it was ideal to give all the players a chance. The first set was easily won by the over excited Shearites, 21 – 12. In the second set, the Keviians were once again behind. A few substitutions were made and the game changed from 20 – 12 (to Sheares) to 20 – 19 (to Sheares). The game had reached a nail biting point, even though Sheares had won the best of three contest. KE served and Sheares returned the ball, a red warrior stretched to get the ball and managed to save the point, but the men in orange showed their worth with quick reflexes and managed to get it back into KE’s half and no KEVIIan was able to reach the ball. KE lost the set 21 – 19 and the match 2 – 0.
Sheares Hall will now face Eusoff Hall (who defeated Kent Ridge Hall) in the Sepak finals. Despite the fact that KE did not make it into the next round, they showed great sportsmanship and cheered for Sheares Hall. It was a game worth watching for everyone, even for those who don’t quite understand the sport.
